Mt. Wachusett via West Side Trail (Mt. Wachusett State Reservation)
Distance: 6.1 miles
Elevation: 1404 feet
Time: 3 hours, 13 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge; Wachusett Mountain Redliner
First hike in a while! Survived the norovirus (barely - it was not my most glamorous time) and finally had energy and a slightly improved appetite so I felt comfortable getting back out. I had never been to Mt. Wachusett before so I decided to check it out, and I'm really glad I did! The Wachusett Hikers Facebook group hosts a redlining patch challenge, and the author curated a set of four hikes that would fulfill it. I followed the route of hike #2 and added the remainder of the Semuhenna Trail.
The day started when my 4:45am alarm went off, which I QUICKLY vetoed. Pushed it back an hour and left just before 6:00am and landed out there just after 7:00am. I wasn't sure how to gauge the crowds/businesses since I've never been before, but when I made it to the West Side Trail parking area it was just me! I gobbled up my slice of Cumby's breakfast pizza (arguably a mistake) and got ready to go!
The West Side Trail heading up started slow and steady with a few steeper sections. Once at the auto road I found some frosted sections which were fun to see. That fun ended when I hit the Semuhenna trail and turned left when I started my hike through the swamp. These trails were wet wet. Some spots were avoidable, and other spots were a careful obstacle course of logs, roots, and the smallest rocks you ever did see. The route on Facebook turned around when Semuhenna hit the auto road again, but I continued on to finish out the Semuhenna Trail. Before heading down, though, I followed the auto road for a minute to the ski slopes where I got a cool view of the melting slopes and the hills to the North! I also dipped into the woods to answer nature's call, which really had me reflecting upon how there is no graceful way to do number two in the woods. Also, I need to get more hand sanitizer. The rest of the Semuhenna Trail got steeper but was much drier. Return trip wasn't too bad, and once I got back to the junction with the West Side Trail I continued on Semuhenna until its final terminus, which followed a relatively level path with moderate degrees of wetness.
At the terminus of Semuhenna, I turned right onto the Harrington Trail which shockingly followed some wet descending sections. The Harrington Trail crosses two dirt roads that criss-cross the park (I'm curious about this history of these roads). I followed West Rd. to Administration Rd., which brought me to the Jack Frost Trail (which appears to be labeled as the Lower Link Trail on the main map, but was clearly labeled as Jack Frost Trail in person) which followed a nice rhododendron tunnel. The Jack Frost Trail veered right while I turned left onto the Lower Link Trail which brought me back to Harrington.
This started the final and steepest stretch of the hike. The Link Trail branched off of Harrington for 0.1 miles, which I quickly hiked and then started the real climb. While I was fighting for my life, the climb was fun. Lots of scrambling up rocky slabs. Thankfully there was a gorgeous vista (the main photo on this post) waiting for me just as I was about to pass away. I gathered myself there and continued on the final push to the top. The top has a pretty standard sense of underwhelming awe that auto road summits have. It's developed, but still has gorgeous views. To the East is Boston and the Blue Hills, Greylock and Mt. Tom to the West, and Mt. Monadnock is very clearly to the north. I didn't stay up there for too long because the wind picked up and it got cold.
The return trip started on the steep Old Indian Trail which had my knee acting up, but stabilized once I got back on the West Side Trail for the final return! The Old Indian Trail was busy, and there was a group of 15-20 people all loudly climbing. I get that people want to be with friends and family, but I can't help but get annoyed when I can hear a group of people shouting from a mile away. Either way they were very nice. The final stretch of the West Side Trail was part of my favorite simply because there was no one. I was constantly running into people the whole hike, which is completely fine, but I'm so used to being alone I was a bit overwhelmed. When I got to my car I realized why the West Side Trail was so quiet - I was still the only car parked there!
Overall it was a fantastic hike and a great way to spend my morning. I'm really excited to head back for my next hike!
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