Mt. Wachusett: Worth the climb

For those looking for a hiking challenge, Mt. Wachusett is ready and waiting for you in Princeton, Mass.You can see the Berkshires out west ? and the Boston skyline to the east. And thanks to the general lack of snow this winter, the trails are a little more accessible to visitors who want to tackle the 2,006-foot mountain (the highest site in Eastern Massachusetts). For those interested in skiing, the slopes have plenty of manmade, groomed snow ? and plenty of skiers!I visited Mt. Wachusett on Presidents’ Day weekend with my girlfriend Laura and our terrier. We consulted a map of the mountain and its network of trails; four of them lead to the summit. A helpful family in the main parking lot said one route to the summit was too icy, and recommended an alternate route farther down Mountain Road.We followed their advice and took the Mountain House trail, an ascent of just under a mile, with an elevation change of 740 feet. The estimated time to the top is 45 minutes.The terrain offers a mixture of challenges. We faced muddy surfaces, particularly near the bottom; rocky routes higher up, with some rocks wobbling under our feet; and patches of ice.After a certain point, we began asking a variation of the old Bart Simpson “are-we-there-yet?” question to hikers emerging down from the mountain: How much farther was the top? At first, their responses sounded discouraging: “you’re less than the halfway point” ? “another 20 minutes.” We discussed turning back, especially since we made the mistake of not bringing water.Yet we continued, and got a promising sign when we reached points where the trail linked up with other routes, such as the Loop Trail and the Jack Frost Trail. This meant we were within range of the summit. (Good thing we brought a map.) Finally the auto road leading to the summit appeared, and we walked its paved surface to the mountaintop.The sights from the summit are an instant reward for weary hikers. You can look across to other heights such as Mts. Monadnock (in New Hampshire) and Watatic (in Massachusetts) ? the Berkshires ? and the manmade structures of Boston, which make you realize you aren’t that far west after all. You can also see skiers traveling to the top on lifts before disembarking and gliding back down.There is just one blot: The “summit restoration” work that is listed as “still in progress” on the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Wachusett website ? but let us hope that the work comes to a successful conclusion.Going down, we had to deal with the same challenges from a different angle, and we came up with ways to do so. Laura found a handy branch to stay balanced on the rocks, for instance. Closer to the bottom, the mud and ice were there to welcome us ? but when we crossed the Bicentennial Trail, we knew the end of the climb was not far away.Perhaps we will come back to ski ? but hiking Mt. Wachusett was a pleasure enough.Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].