Say freeze! New England Trail – Day 1

On the eve of start day, I managed an overnight trip to Royalston, MA. I planned to hike 0.6 miles north to Royalston Falls Shelter, spend the night, hike another 0.1 miles north to mark the end and officially begin my hike south on the New England Trail. Even though temperatures hit the 90s all week leading up to my start date, I was lucky enough to receive a freeze warning two days before. My first few days would come with a high of 44-48°. Overnight temperatures would be as low as 26°. This meant a couple of last minute equipment changes/additions. I swapped my accordion pad for an inflatable one, my beloved running shorts for tights, and a pair of inner gloves to keep my hands from freezing like they usually do.

Here we go again!

The next morning, I struggled to get up from the quilt. I’m usually fine as soon as I get moving, but it took me a minute to remember; I chose this! Soon enough, I packed up and found my way to the NH/MA border.

My first steps south began around 7:30am with a long way to go that day. Rolling terrain with some gentle climbs welcomed me to the woods of northern MA. Dirt roads and sand dunes wind their way through the impeccably maintained and well-marked White Trail, maintained by the Massachusetts AMC Chapter. I was navigating with a similar excitement as I had at the beginning of my other two trails. A bite in the air kept me going.

Sand dunes in the pine forests a few kilometers from the trail.

Finally, I reached the long climb to Mount Grace, the highest point of the NET at just over 1,600′. It was fairly well leveled and not too intimidating, but a bit shocking on the legs after the up and down hills. However, I quickly made it to the fire tower to take some photos and keep moving. All downhill from here, right?

View from the Mount Grace fire tower, with Mount Monadnock to the northeast.

However, the next six miles or so felt pretty magical. Ancient moss-covered forests towered overhead, their slender counterparts gently waving in the wind around them. It’s almost reminiscent of the Smokies in the morning light on the AT.

Learning to move forward.

Among the strange sights of power lines and abandoned logging roads, I suddenly arrived at the site of the Richardson-Zlogar cabin. A little over half the day around 2:00 pm. Although I was in a hurry, I took a few moments to enjoy the view and appreciate the site. He was obviously popular and well liked. I headed back down the trail and really paced myself for the next ten miles or so.

View from Richardson-Zlogar Cabin: Reservations required.

The Brush Mountain and Erving State Forests were rocky, mossy glens with ferns covering everything. With plenty of water, I tried to remind myself to drink it, especially in colder temperatures where even more electrolytes are needed. There were ten miles to go around 4:00 pm and soon, the Type 2 fun began. On and off for the next three hours, I experienced spontaneous bursts of hail. As much as I tried to laugh it off, the sun was starting to set and a decent walk down the path without the cover of trees meant I felt the brunt of it. From my experience on the AT, I learned that I tend to hit a wall around mile 22 during the day. This path would be a lesson in overcoming that threshold.

Near dusk.

Looking at the last stretch of the day to face.

After some time on the trail, a steep climb leads to a short ridge that descends to where I planned to camp for the night. In the fading sunlight, I reached the top of the ridge enjoying some sunset views through the trees. Finally, dragging sore feet, I saw the little shed in the Wendell State Forest. Narrowly avoiding a nighttime encounter with a skunk (did you know they climb trees?), I greeted another individual staying there. We chatted a bit about other long distance hiking trails in New England and sections of the AT. He wished me luck on the long days ahead and I scarfed down some food before turning in for the night. The next day would be especially hard, but I felt prepared.

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