Day 12/April 12 -- New England trails at their finest, not

Miles hiked: 11.11 in 4:47

Starting location: Grange Hall Road, Dalton,MA

Ending location: County Road, Becket, MA

Elevation gain: 1,841'

When I left home, the thermometer read 50°F, but when I got to the trailhead, my car said the temperature had dropped to 37°F--a noticeable difference. It was not only cold, but it was raining lightly and the wind was strong, too.

After a short, steep climb I met Handmade, whom I last saw at the RPH Shelter in Hopewell Junction, New York. I finally got to see his handmade (hence his trail name) backpack, replete with what looked to be an Ash frame and canvas bag. Handmade also carries two Bowie knives, an axe pick for digging cat holes, and various other utensils that make his pack top out close to 40 pounds. Despite that excessive weight, he managed to cover 27 miles the day before. He did that by going from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.; some people are obsessed. 

Before we parted, Handmade felt compelled to comment on the trail conditions, prefacing his remarks with, "you're from here so you probably know these trails well." To which I nodded my head in confirmation, before he proceeded to say how wet they were and for how many miles. Yup, these are New England trails when they are most difficult--before they have dried out:

The best hiking practice is to march right down the middle of that stream/trail, as it prevents further erosion. However, if you don't have waterproof shoes, then be prepared for hours of agonizingly cold feet. And even if you do have waterproof boots, you can't spot the hidden roots, often slanted, that will put you on your ass faster than a speeding bullet. As you can see, many will try to skirt the water, if at all possible.

The terrain today was mostly flat with some rolling hills, which explains the wet conditions. There was only one climb up Warner Hill, at 2,050' elevation. In the summer, Warner is renown for its blueberries and red raspberries, but, alas, none were to be seen today. Only the flattened vegetation on the north side of the hill:

For some reason, I found today's hike to be one of the most tiring, not because of the elevation changes, but probably due to the unrelenting water that buried the trail. Without my hiking poles, I most likely would have fallen into those puddles. Staying focused on the trail, rather than on how I was feeling, was hard to do today, but it's over, so now I can look forward to tomorrow.

Route from my Suunto.