A GREAT DAY IN NORTHERN BERKSHIRE COUNTY
Hiking & Biking in Savoy State Forest
Hiking & Biking in Savoy State Forest
Riding the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Savoy hiking & biking photo slideshow
So let me describe a good summer day: buzzing along a paved trail at 14mph, the sides of the trail lined with blooming wildflowers. Off to the left is the Cheshire Reservoir, the incredibly blue waters rippled by the breeze that keeps it from being too warm. Green mountains rise up on the other side of the water. The sun is shining, the clouds are white and fluffy. I guess it doesn't get much better than this...
After finishing the race I changed into dry clothes and headed to a different part of the park to do a little riding. The drive was slow... the roads in the MA state forests are typically poorly maintained, and this was no exception. Lots of up and down made me question the wisdom of riding, but I wanted to give it a shot. At the parking area I discovered that there was a path to a waterfall, Tannery Falls, and hiked down to see them. A very nice hike - lots of cool gorges leading to the tallest waterfall in MA (I found the latter out this morning on-line.) Very pretty and very cool. (And best of all, I was the only one there... which was good timing, because it got pretty busy by the time I got back to the parking lot.)
After hauling myself back to the parking area, I hopped on the bike and rode off to see Balance Rock, a big boulder which is, as you might guess, balanced on a small base. Ended up pushing the bike about half the distance - lots of uphill. At that point I wisely decided to forgo extensive mountain biking in the park, and not-so-wisely decided to ride the 1.5 miles back to the car along an off-road trail. Mostly downhill - cake, right? Unfortunately, I lack the skills and courage it takes to blast down steep technical trails at full speed, which is what you need to do to stay on the bike. So the "ride" back consisted of ride a minute or two, push the bike for a bit, and repeat until arriving at the end. Guess I need to work on the ATB skills a bit more - no mountain bike races in the near future for me!
After that, drove to Pittsfield and after grabbing a bite to eat, hopped on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail between Lanesborough (just outside of Pittsfield) and Adams. About 11.5 miles of zipping along a paved path,which turned out to be mostly a gentle downhill grade on the way out(that became apparent on the ride back... the gentle uphill grade was much more noticeable!) Fantastic weather and generally a great way to end the trip!
Then of course I had to leave the beautiful Berkshires and return to Albany... but at least there was a hot shower waiting for me! VERY much needed after 4.5 miles of trail running, hiking half a mile or so, 3 miles of trail riding, and 23 miles of paved riding...
By the end of the day, my legs were fried, my back was sore, and my butt was sore - and I was definitely smiling.
JMH
Savoy hiking & biking photo slideshow
So let me describe a good summer day: buzzing along a paved trail at 14mph, the sides of the trail lined with blooming wildflowers. Off to the left is the Cheshire Reservoir, the incredibly blue waters rippled by the breeze that keeps it from being too warm. Green mountains rise up on the other side of the water. The sun is shining, the clouds are white and fluffy. I guess it doesn't get much better than this...
After finishing the race I changed into dry clothes and headed to a different part of the park to do a little riding. The drive was slow... the roads in the MA state forests are typically poorly maintained, and this was no exception. Lots of up and down made me question the wisdom of riding, but I wanted to give it a shot. At the parking area I discovered that there was a path to a waterfall, Tannery Falls, and hiked down to see them. A very nice hike - lots of cool gorges leading to the tallest waterfall in MA (I found the latter out this morning on-line.) Very pretty and very cool. (And best of all, I was the only one there... which was good timing, because it got pretty busy by the time I got back to the parking lot.)
After hauling myself back to the parking area, I hopped on the bike and rode off to see Balance Rock, a big boulder which is, as you might guess, balanced on a small base. Ended up pushing the bike about half the distance - lots of uphill. At that point I wisely decided to forgo extensive mountain biking in the park, and not-so-wisely decided to ride the 1.5 miles back to the car along an off-road trail. Mostly downhill - cake, right? Unfortunately, I lack the skills and courage it takes to blast down steep technical trails at full speed, which is what you need to do to stay on the bike. So the "ride" back consisted of ride a minute or two, push the bike for a bit, and repeat until arriving at the end. Guess I need to work on the ATB skills a bit more - no mountain bike races in the near future for me!
After that, drove to Pittsfield and after grabbing a bite to eat, hopped on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail between Lanesborough (just outside of Pittsfield) and Adams. About 11.5 miles of zipping along a paved path,which turned out to be mostly a gentle downhill grade on the way out(that became apparent on the ride back... the gentle uphill grade was much more noticeable!) Fantastic weather and generally a great way to end the trip!
Then of course I had to leave the beautiful Berkshires and return to Albany... but at least there was a hot shower waiting for me! VERY much needed after 4.5 miles of trail running, hiking half a mile or so, 3 miles of trail riding, and 23 miles of paved riding...
By the end of the day, my legs were fried, my back was sore, and my butt was sore - and I was definitely smiling.
JMH
