Mt. Everett via Guilder Pond and AT (Mt. Everett State Reservation)

Mt. Everett via Guilder Pond and AT (Mt. Everett State Reservation)

Hike Type: Figure-8 Lollipop Loop

Distance: 4.25 miles

Elevation: 942 feet

Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike 

From Catamount, I had a lovely 15-minute drive over to the Mt. Everett State Reservation road. I would have rather hiked from the other side, which climbs along waterfalls, but that hike was two miles longer and I was still 2.5 hours from home, so the easier side it is! From the entrance, there is a short dirt road that leads to a small parking area at a gate. It was 50 degrees and sunny out - just beautiful! I quickly put my hiking clothes on, and got started!

The gated road was no problem at all and just a little soggy from spring. On the left was Nature Conservancy land managed by DCR, and on the right was Massachusetts State Forest land. I took my fleece off 6-ish minutes in, leaving me down to my long-sleeve base layer and shorts. I passed a man with his unleashed daschund that charged at me, and then had most of the rest of the hike to myself. 

The road crossed a mossy stream on a culvert with a few cascades off-trail - just beautiful! The sun felt absolutely amazing on my body, and soon enough I came to the Guilder Pond Loop. 

I turned left onto the Guidler Pond Loop, faintly blazed in blue, crossed a small bridge over a dam and then came out onto a dock that provided a stunning view of the pond, blue skies, and Mt. Everett behind. Most of the trail on this side alternated between narrow trail on the pond's bank, mountain laurel groves, and an occasional patch of snow with a view to the pond. Once further in, I realized that the pond was much bigger than I initially thought!

The trail continued to undulate around the pond with tree views to Mt. Everett. There were a couple confusing sections that were thankfully well-blazed, especially on the far side on the pond, and on the return side of the loop the mountain laurel and views were more abundant.

Eventually, the Guilder Pond Trail joined the Appalachian Trail (I didn't realize the AT came over here!) in a wet area with boardwalks and gently rose to another parking area along the Mt. Everett Road. It looked like cars might be allowed up here in the warmer months? I couldn't find any information online about it.

I continued past the large "Appalchian Trail" sign and back into the woods, where the trail climbed more steeply, briefly turned back onto the road, and then continued off the road again. The Appalchian Trail paralleled the road for a bit while I navigated a barely-avoidable ice flow. The trail turned as the road turned and began to ascend via a couple of snowy switchbacks. The road soon ended at what looked like an upper parking area as I continued my final push to the top.

The trail mellowed and narrowed with lots of mountain laurel on the right and tree views out on the left. Interestingly, I passed a sign indicating the summit was 0.1 miles away in effectively the middle of nowhere - no features or junction, just a sign. I passed two weirdly quiet people just after the sign, and after them I hit a blue arrow that led to an absolutely wonderful view down into what I think is Connecticut!

Past here, the trees got a bit scrubby, almost like I was breaking treeline without entering an Alpine Zone. It also felt like hiking in the Cape, but just with smaller trees. 

I was delighted to reach the summit after turning a corner, and even more delighted to see 1) a summit sign, 2) old firetower footings, and 3) a sign for the old fire tower - how fun! I didn't realize this hike had fire tower remnants. There were a few obstructed views from the top, and in my hunt for views, I stumbled upon a USGS disc - how fun, again! I noticed a little herd path in the direction the disc was pointing, so naturally I had to follow it. It led through scrubby bushes to... MORE old fire tower footings! I really enjoyed this little exploration. I looked for another disc, but came up short, only finding deer poop and old paint indicating the trail used to go this way.

I made my way back to the summit area, and found a second disc anyway! Yay! I explored just a little bit more before officially calling it and starting my return. What a fun way to cap off this hike! A few quotes that I found from Wikipedia:

"Its upper dome is noted for expansive vistas and an unusual dwarf forest of pitch pine and oak."

"A seasonal auto road approaching from the west climbs past Guilder Pond and continues nearly to Everett's summit, but its upper reaches have been long closed to automobiles."

Wikipedia also made note that Mt. Everett is the highest peak in the Southern Taconics. I followed the AT back down the lovely trail and turned onto a spur to the upper parking area, which was actually a picnic shelter with a stunning view! Just past the shelter was the upper parking area, which looked lightly used (which Wikipedia later explained to me). 

The upper trip down involved me mostly thinking "do people actually drive up here?" Again, thankfully Wikipedia had an answer for me! I passed the quiet couple again as the AT crossed the road, and I continued to make my way down past the upper gate and back onto the main Mt. Everett Road that may or may not be open to the public in-season.

I also found this annecdote from berkshirehiking.com: 

"NOTE: There seems to be every varying reports about the summit road to Everett. Their website states that the road is open up to Guilder Pond during warmer months. However, at times during summer the road is closed at the base parking. There seems to be an ongoing discussion (friction?) between reservation stewards and state park system as to how the state reservation should be accessed. As a result, some changes have taken place such as tearing down the old fire tower on top and closing all or part of the summit road most of the year (if not entirely depending upon who you talk to). It's an amazing place to hike around but you may want to call/email ahead to get the latest information (official website). It's an out of the way place so just be aware that the long drive there could lead to a closed summit road. As of this writing (July 2010) their website says the summit road is open during summer. But you should contact them first if you are traveling far just to be safe."

I had my spikes danging from my pack for most of this hike, but I HAD to stash them because the clanging was driving me bonkers! I passed the pond, which had another lovely view, and had a bit of a boring final descent along the road back down to the car. I was mighty relieved to see the gate at the end, and soon I was in the car, in dry clothes, driving to McDonalds and then back home! I'm looking forward to exploring more of these Taconic 12er peaks!

Step-by-Step

- Park at lower gate on Mt. Everett Road.

- Hike up Mt. Everett Road.

- At jct., turn left onto Guilder Pond Loop.

- At next jct., turn right and the AT joins.

- At road, Guidler Pond Loop terminates and the AT continues.

- Follow AT to summit of Mt. Everett.

- At summit, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto view spur.

- Continue right onto Mt. Everett Road.

- Follow Mt. Everett Road down to car.

Mt. Everett State Reservation Map

Photo Album

Skiing Catamount Mountain (Day 38/Indy Day 30)

Skiing Catamount Mountain

Sunday, March 29th, 2026

Runs: 13

Distance: 11.27 miles

Elevation: 12,034 feet

Max Speed: 36.8 mph

Avg. Speed: 16.6 mph

Moving Time: 40 minutes, 42 seconds

Total Time: 2 hours, 38 minutes, 29 seconds

I had a wonderful hit-and-run trip to New Jersey, got my haircut, and was back on the road around 9:00am! I was between skiing Catamount and Berkshire East, and ultimately decided I'd ski Catamount since it would save over an hour of driving and I had more opportunites to possibly hike afterwards. I had no idea what the conditions would be like, but I saw at least one of their double blacks was open (I'd never skied any of them), so I made my choice! I made my Indy reservation before leaving, and I was off! 

I had a great, easy drive up, and the parking lot wasn't even half full when I arrived just before 11:30am. I first ran into the bathroom and got my pass for the day and then booted up at the car - it was so wonderfully quiet on the mountain, and coverage still looked decent (for snowmaking trails, that is). Classic spring - white ribbons bordered with brown woods.

Conditions Outlook

Sunday, March 29th

21 Open Trails Serviced by 2 Lifts (Ridge Quad & Meadows Triple) and 1 Carpet.

Mostly cloudy skies in the morning today before sun comes out in the afternoon; temperatures will increase throughout the day, starting in the 30s and getting up to close to 50s. Plenty of well-groomed trails are still open across the mountain. 

Our mountain ops crews are working hard to keep the conditions strong. 
Don't miss out on some of the last skiing of the sesaon!

Runs 1-5

Run 1: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Lower Sidewinder

[1.08 mi; 4:05; 1,004 ft; 28.9 mph max; 15.8 mph avg]

Run 2: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Shawenon

[0.86 mi; 3:13; 981 ft; 32.8 mph max; 16.0 mph avg]

Run 3: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Chute - Lower Alley Cat - On-Stage

[0.72 mi; 2:34; 978 ft; 26.8 mph max; 16.8 mph avg]

Run 4: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Chute - On-Stage

[0.77 mi; 2:38; 1,001 ft; 30.4 mph max; 17.6 mph avg]

Run 5: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Upper Glade - Lower Glade - On-Stage

[0.74 mi; 2:46; 1,001 ft; 31.0 mph max; 16.2 mph avg]

I decided I'd mostly ski looker's right to left and just see what was open! It looked like more trails were open than the online report said, which was exciting! I rode up the Ridge Quad almost exclusively, and only had to share it once out of my 13 runs. Run #1 was down Upper Sidewinder, which had a mixture of spring corn and uncarvable ice, down onto Upper Alley Cat, which was short, steep and fun, and then I cut-through to Lower Sidewinder, which was super fun and had some rollers that made me go "whee!'

Run #2 started the same and then went onto Shawenon, where I vividly remember going WAY too fast on my first season on the Indy Pass. This snow was delightfully fun and springy with just a few narrow spots to navigate. Run #3 followed Chute to Lower Alley Cat to On-Stage and some of my favorite snow of the day. #4 was Chute all the way to On-Stage, and #5 was Upper and Lower Glades to On-Stage. Really all of these runs were super fun to ski with that lovely spring snow - my only wish was that the upper bit on Upper Alley Cat was a little softer!

Runs 6-9

Run 6: Ridge Quad - Ridge Run - Catapult - On-Stage

[0.69 mi; 2:42; 945 ft; 26.8 mph max; 15.3 mph avg]

Run 7: Ridge Quad - Ridge Run - Christopher's Leap - Holiday

[0.90 i; 3:07; 925 ft; 33.9 mph max; 17.3 mph avg]

Run 8: Ridge Quad - Ridge Run - Mountain View - Upper Colonel's Caper - Ali's Alley - Holiday

[1.28 mi; 3:48; 1,122 ft; 31.4 mph max; 20.2 mph avg]

Run 9: Ridge Quad - Ridge Run - Upper Promenade - Lower Promenade

[1.35 mi; 4:29; 942 ft; 31.7 mph max; 18.0 mph avg]

Now I'd be turning left off of the Ridge Quad for some runs, starting with the double-black Catapult! This one was always super daunting to me due to it's pitch and closeness to the quad, but I really went in with no fear and just had a wonderful run down! Skier's right had more corn with a few cookies, while skier's left started harder but ended up buttery and wonderful. It didn't feel that steep in the grand scheme of things, either.

Run #7 brought me down the other open double-black, Christopher's Leap, which was objectively super steep. What didn't help was that it was also hard as a rock - one of those runs where you turn just for the bit. I basically scraped right on down this one, which was simply unpleasant. It would be fun with spring bumps, though! Holiday skied wonderfully and I got enough speed to get right back to the Ridge.

#8 was more of a leisure run. I followed Ridge Run to Mountain View, both were soft and lovely, and then onto Upper Colonel's Caper and Ali's Alley, which were barely-touched corn havens. I giggled! Holiday brought me right back to the quad.

Run #9 was the big winding one, down Ridge Run and both Promenades. I wanted to ski back to the Ridge Quad, but springtime left it's mark and the only way back would be a slight uphill through the beginner carpet area, which was running! Instead, I finished up at the Meadows Triple and hopped on there for a few more runs.

Runs 10-11

Run 10: Meadows Triple - Walter's Way - Lower Promenade

[0.63 mi; 2:11; 551 ft; 35.4 mph max; 17.2 mph avg]

Run 11: Meadows Triple - Mountain View - Holiday

[0.62 mi; 2:18; 584 ft; 30.3 mph max; 16.3 mph avg]

My first run up the Meadows Triple was down Walter's Way to Lower Promenade - Walter's is always a favorite of mine! Run #11 went back up the Meadows and down Mountain View to Holiday and back to the Ridge for a couple last runs. Also fun moment - the mid-station on the Meadows was BLASTING 2012-era music that echoed throughout the birch woods, a beautiful dichotomy. There were a few more trails I needed to ski everything in the Meadows area, but I was satisfied skipping them.

Runs 12-13

Run 12: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Shawenon

[0.85 mi; 3:01; 991 ft; 33.2 mph max; 16.9 mph avg]

Run 13: Ridge Quad - Ridge Run - Catapult - On-Stage

[0.79 mi; 3:50; 1,007 ft; 31.4 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

My final two runs were just joyful repeats! Run #12 was aimed at Lower Sidewinder, but a bunch of teens went down that way so I hit Shawenon instead (and almost barreled over someone side slipping down the narrow headwall... oops... she didn't notice I almost killed her though, and told me to go around in a lovely French accent). My final run was another lap down Catapult, which was just a fun time! I was thinking about hiking on the lift, and saw that a few peaks on the new Taconic 12er Challenge were less than 10 miles away, so I set my sights onto Mt. Everett! I debooted, used the bathroom again, had a quick snack of lackluster energy gummies that had been sitting in my hiking bag for who knows how long, and was off for adventure #2!

Map of Catamount Mountain

Beebe Hill Fire Tower (2x) (Beebe Hill State Forest)

Beebe Hill Fire Tower (2x) (Beebe Hill State Forest)

Hike Type: Loopty Loop

Distance: 4.69 miles

Elevation: 814 feet

Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er

The Hike 

The drive from Ludlow to Beebe Hill was nice and simple, and featured a stop at the lovely Loves truck stop right off of I-90 once in New York. There were 10-15 more minues of driving once off the highway, and it was lovely! I drove past a different trailhead for Beebe Hill State Forest, which confused me, but I trusted my GPS and it was correct. The driveway to my trailhead was pretty rutted, but thankfully short. It was a chillier 19 degrees now. The AllTrails route I had was a short hike, less than two miles, so I figured I'd start there and extend it if I was feeling good. The start of my hike did get slightly delayed, because there was a super old cemetary right next to the trailhead (which is apparently known as Fog Hill Cemetary and/or Frenchman Cemetary, but I couldn't find out any more information on it). There were some graves from the 1800s!

From the trailhead, I followed blue blazes over a bridge and trampling needle ice, which soon leads to a register box. The blue blazes stop here, and red blazes go both left and right - I went right to climb up Beebe Hill. I crossed another little bridge in beautiful woods and wiggled around some blowdowns after the bridge. There was a comical amount of needle ice on the trail - it almost felt like a gravel trail. There were a few short steep sections before crossing a stone wall and a few woodpeckers.

I was looking around, enjoying the open forest views, and feeling grateful to actually enjoy stick season (but to be clear, I'm excited for leaves again, too). The trail continues to climb and eventually levels out for a while, which was lovely. The trail crossed a spur to a shelter, that gave off spooky vibes on which I truly cannot elaborate.

After the shelter, the trail crosses a bridge over wetlands and what I assume to be a vernal pond, and there were raccoon tracks frozen to the bridge (actually, looking at the photos again, I think they were beaver tracks! - WAIT NO just kidding definitely raccoon). Anyway, the trail continued, easily climbing, past a privy in the woods, and soon entered the summit clearing!

There was a cabin that appeared to be mid-refurbishment, and to the right down the road was the fire tower, which also looked recently refurbished. I climbed up the shockingly not-sketchy fire tower (recently painted, not wobbly, and EXCELLENT traction). The stairs did get skinny near the top, but the cabin had all of it's windows and just wonderful views! The best views were towards the Catskills.

I climbed back down, lamented about not finding a disc, and continued my hike. I hiked down the fire tower road, turning left onto what seemed like an older road. At the next junction, I turned left again onto a blue-blazed trail, the Upper Horse Trail Loop, that had a "Caballero" sign further down. I noticed a spur to the shelter partway down the trail - noted! The blue trail undulated for a bit before descending, past a confusing area, through an area of new growth, and then down toward the big pond which abuts the trailhead. 

Here, I took off my fleece and turned right onto an unblazed old road (the same old road I turned onto from the fire tower road). There was a lot of logging evidence down here and lots of birds singing to each other! I followed the road for a short while and then turned left onto the yellow-blazed Lower Horse Trail Loop, parked with normal NYDEC plackards and also older yellow ones with horse heads!

I caught my first spiderweb of the year while descending on the yellow trail. I noticed most of the NYDEC blazes looked brand new. I continued to descend for longer than anticipated, eventually hitting a low spot with an easy creek-hop crossing. From the low point, the trail easily climbs up switchbacks. It climbed just enough to keep me warm, which was welcome especially now because there was a cold breeze. 

The yellow trail meandered around a few stone walls (or one big one?), joining, leaving, and joining another old road later on, eventually terminating at the tower road! The walk up the tower road was nice and easy, and it felt much chillier now that the clouds had rolled in. I checked out the cabin and fire tower again, hoping to find a disc, but I was unsuccessful.

To mix things up, I follwed the red trail down, turning to check out the shelter and following the spur down to the blue trail (I did get a little off-trail, but AllTrails got me back on). I turned right on blue, and then left onto the old road, whic I was able to follow all the way back to the car. I enjoyed some nice views of the pond with the world's loudest geese near the end. There was a trail that looped the pond, but I needed to get to New Jersey! This was such a lovely way to start my weekend!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Beebe Hill State Forest Parking off of CR-5 (Barrett Pond).

- Start hike following blue markers. 

- At trail register, continue right, now following red markers.

- At terminus, turn right onto road.

- Climb fire tower, turn around.

- Follow road toward next jct.

- At jct., turn left.

- At jct., turn right onto old road.

- At jct., turn left onto yellow.

- At terminus, turn right onto road.

- At summit, turn around.

- At jct., turn left.

- At jct., continue right.

- At terminus, turn left onto old road.

- Follow old road to car.

Beebe Hill State Park Map

Photo Album

Ludlow Fire Tower via Tower Road (Ludlow State Forest)

Ludlow Fire Tower via Tower Road (Ludlow State Forest)

Hike Type: Figure-8 Lollipop Loop

Distance: 0.90 miles

Elevation: 164 feet

Time: 18 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Massachusetts Fire Tower Challenge (11 and 45), Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike 

And for once, I'm not driving up to NH or VT to go skiing (I might ski tomorrow TBD)! It's truly time for my annual "go to New Jersey in March becuase my hair is out of control and my mom still cuts my hair" trip! Naturally, I got started early (not ridiculously, though) at 5:00am and had two stops planned: 1) the Ludlow Fire Tower for the Massachusetts Fire Tower Challenge (both the counties and individual towers challenges) and 2) Beebe Hill for the Taconic 12er Challenge. I made it to the Ludlow Tower Road around 6:30am. It was a chilly 24 degrees, but I knew it was going to be a short, easy hike.

I had my hiking pants, long sleeve, fleece, and nano puff on. I left my pack in the car since it was so short and swapped my camera wrist clutch for a neck strap (which I bought years ago and JUST remembered I had) and got started, ushered in by the SCREAMS of a nearby rooster. There's not designated parking, but there's also no "no parking" signs on the side of the road. Plan was to hike the road up and down!

The road was a wide, dirt access road that wound it's way up 0.4 miles to the top. I noticed shortly after entering the woods that there was a red-blazed trail on the left - interesting! I then noticed the power line was also clearly a used trail that skipped a few turns in the road - interesting!

Before I knew it, I was at the top! It was just before sunrise, so I hiked a few laps around the fence around the tower until I could see the sun. There was a survey disc at a footing of the tower, but it was fenced off (still counts!). The sun poked through a cloud, and I was satisfied! I also noticed three more blazed trails off the top. Going clockwise from the road, orange, green, and blue. I scoured the internet and can't find any information on them, so I didn't extend my hike just incase.

I followed the power line down just to mix things up, and it was covered in needle ice. Soon enough, I was back on the road and back at the car! It would be a little over an hour to my next stop - this was a great start to my day!

Step-by-Step

- Park at junction of Tower Road and Margaret Lane.

- Start hike by following Tower Road.

- Circle the fire tower a few times for fun.

- Descend first via power line, and then via Tower Road. 

Photo Album

Bellevue Pond, Wright's Tower, Panther Caves, Cross-Fells, Skyline Trail Loop (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Bellevue Pond, Wright's Tower, Panther Caves, Cross-Fells, Skyline Trail Loop (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Hike Type: Loopty Loop

Distance: 3.63 miles

Elevation: 554 feet

Time: 2 hours, 1 minute (1 hour, 41 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2026

The Hike 

Back to Wright's Tower for the first time in a while! I was meeting up with Kerri, who I hadn't seen in a few weeks (and hadn't hiked with in a couple years!). I was running 15 minutes ahead of her, so I hiked up the tower and around Bellevue Pond first without her, and then we had our grand reunion back in the parking lot (perfect timing!). It was a beautiful afternoon with abundant sunshine and temperatures in the mid-50s and we had no plan besides the tower. I only carried my water bottle with me and we took Wright's Tower Road up to the top and had a nice long sit to catch up - I missed her!

After our sit (aka when I started to get chilly), we started to hike around. She mentioned wanting to visit the Panther Caves and I THOUGHT I knew how to get there (spoiler alert, I guess and I was correct!), so we wiggled there via Mud Road and Red Cross Path. We did a little exploring and then continued onto the Skyline, Cross-Fells, and Skyline Trails again. It was nice to pair the easy old road walking with some more rugged trails. The frogs were doing their jobs nicely, too!

We worked our way back to the tower for one last bit of "ooo"s and "ahhh"s before hiking back to the cars and parting ways - such a nice afternoon!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Bellevue Pond.

- Start hike at Gate 5/Quarry Road.

- After D6-5, turn right onto Wright's Tower Trail.

- At tower, continue onto Wright's Tower Road.

- At terminus, turn left onto Quarry Road.

- At D6-3, turn right.

- At C6-9, turn left.

- Hike along parking lot back to Gate 5.

- Continue onto Quarry Road.

- At jct., turn right onto Wright's Tower Road.

- At tower, turn around. 

- At D6-2, turn right onto Mud Road.

- At C6-3, turn left onto Red Cross Path.

- Explore Panther Cave, then continue northwest on Skyline Trail.

- At C5-16, turn right onto Cross-Fells Trail.

- At C5-18, turn right onto Skyline Trail.

- Follow Skyline Trail back to tower.

- At tower, turn around and follow Wright's Tower Road.

- At terminus, turn left onto Quarry Road.

- Follow Quarry Road back to car.

Middlesex Fells Reservation Map

Photo Album

Jerry Jingle, Cross Fells, & Far Eastern Fells Loop (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Jerry Jingle, Cross Fells, & Far Eastern Fells Loop (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Hike Type: Tracing Loop

Distance: 5.31 miles

Elevation: 715 feet

Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2026, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike 

The sun was out, I was spending the night in Cambridge, so back to the Fells I went! It was chilly with temperatures in the low 40's, but with a brisk pace a long sleeve and shorts is all I needed. I was hoping to finish up the area south of the Fells Reservoir and then, who knows! I started my hike near F5-3 and hiked towards the delightfully named Jerry Jingle Road, which was a classic old road in the Fells. There were some gravelly spots that I didn't care for, but overall it was smooth sailing. 

I worked my way near Gate 55 and noticed a large piece of granite off in the woods (like the trailhead markers in the Blue Hills), but I don't think I was near a town line, so who knows! I was noticing many more people than I had been recently, which I guess is just another sign of the changing seasons. 

I made my way over to the Cross Fells Trail, which was back to a footpath, passed a weird cage-like thing (maybe to trap a problem animal?) and climbed to the height-of-land, which had an old USGS disc and an obstructed view towards Boston. I THINK this is the last disc in the Fells I hadn't yet found (three near Wright's Tower and one here). 

I crossed the Fellsway East and decided I'd start connecting the dots on this isolated section of the Reservation - I immediately was enjoying seeing the spots I'd hiked on the Rock Circuit Trail from new perspectives! I got a little turned-around at the confusing white blazes (the actual blazes and the marked trail on the map for the Rock Circuit do not fully match around Pinnacle Rock), but I made it around just fine. I found an unmapped spur to a view near Pinnacle/Ziggy's Rock which had a view towards the Back Bay and Great Blue Hill, which was fun. I was also just enjoying how rugged this area is - the glaciers really worked hard here! I could even hear the occasional Wood Frog and Peeper!

I made a little loop around East Path, where I found a couple more unmapped off-trail views toward Melrose and Boston. One view had a collapsed tent and a memorial rock to "Miss Kitty," so I did not stay there long. My nose was feeling a little stuffy, which I think was a sign of allergy season beginning.

I DID find another slab of granite that WAS marking the Melrose/Malden town line, which was fun. I worked my way over towards White Rock Path and all the way towards Fellsway East at Gate 49, which was a quiet, lovely walk. I did smell some smoke on my return trip and heard sirens, but I couldn't see anything from the viewpoints. 

I eventually made it onto the yellow blazes for The Cascade, and the water was flowing beautifully! I'd never seen this area with actual flowing water, so this was a treat! I had a rough descent down the yellow-blazed trail, but the view was worth it. I followed the trail around back towards the Cross-Fells Trail, passed the only person I'd see on this side, climbed up the steep hill, and then made my way back to the car. I was HUNGRY, and happy to be finishing up! I was also just delighted to officially complete this Far Eastern section of the Fells - I didn't think I would, yay! I did leave one hanging chad south of the Fells Reservoir, but that's a problem for another day.

Step-by-Step

- Park near F5-3.

- Start hike on Cross-Fells Trails towards F5-3. 

- At Gate 53, turn around onto Jerry Jingle Road.

- At F5-6, turn right.

- At F5-4, turn left

- Before F5-9, turn right.

- At F5-9, turn right onto Jerry Jingle Road.

- At Gate 55, turn around.

- At F5-9, turn left.

- At F5-1, turn right onto Cross-Fells Trail.

- At Gate 53, cross Fellsway East.

- Continue past Gate 52 onto Cross-Fells Trail.

- At F5-10, turn right.

- At jct., turn left.

- At G5-8, turn around.

- At F5-12, turn right.

- At F5-11, turn right.

- At Fellsway east, turn around.

- At F5-11, turn right onto Pinnacle Path.

- At Gate 56, turn around.

- At F5-11, turn right.

- At F5-12, turn right.

- At G5-9, hike triangle and continue north.

- At G5-6, turn left onto Cross-Fells Trail.

- At G5-4, turn around.

- At G5-7, hike triangle and hike south on East Path.

- At G5-9, turn right.

- At G5-6, turn left on Cross-Fells Trail.

- At G5-7, turn left.

- At G5-3, turn left.

- At G5-1, turn right onto Black Rock Path.

- At G4-3, continue onto White Rock Path.

- At Gate 49, turn around.

- At G4-3, turn right.

- At Gate 51, turn around.

- At G4-3, continue straight.

- At G4-4, follow yellow blazes to The Cascade.

- At Goodyear Ave., continue onto Cross-Fells Trail.

- At G5-3, turn right.

- At G5-1, turn left onto Black Rock Path.

- At G5-4, turn right.

- At Gate 52, cross Fellsway East and return to car.

Middlesex Fells Reservation Map

Photo Album

Skiing Bolton Valley (Day 37/Indy Day 29)

Skiing Bolton Valley

Sunday, March 22nd, 2026

Runs: 17

Distance: 14.73 miles

Elevation: 13,524 feet

Max Speed: 31.8 mph

Avg. Speed: 13.8 mph

Moving Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes, 59 seconds

Total Time: 4 hours, 18 minutes, 46 seconds

It was another wet/snowy night and nobody was setting an alarm. I ended up waking up around 7:00am, and after meticulous weather-checking decided I'd drive by Bolton Valley and see how it was looking to me. I left Emma's a little after 8:00am, same time as Ray, and made my way down the slushy roads toward Richmond and Bolton. US-2 was in rough shape, but I figured I'd made enough progress that I might as well commit to the drive! The access road was, as expected... puckering. My car held her own well though, with not a single slip or skid. I parked at the Timberline Lodge and got my Indy immediately. It was lightly snowing and the snow looked GOOD. Sarah wasn't sure if she thought I was brave or stupid to tackle that access road in this weather, but I'd soon be glad I did! I had one goggle issue that was quickly resolved with the hand dryer, and then I was off to the races!

Alpine Snow Report

Sunday, March 22nd, 2026

7:54 Update: Vista lift is running today!

Today is shaping up to be a nice day for skiing. Temps are in the upper 20s, which is ideal for keeping the snow in great condition, and light snow showers are moving through to keep things fresh throughout the day.

We're still expecting around 6 to 8 inches over the next 24 hours, with a few inches falling today and more continuing overnight into tomorrow. That should set up soft turns now and a fresh reset by morning. Conditions are skiing nice with a nice layer of new snow on top, so coverage and quiality are both in a really good place.

Lifts are spinning until 4 tonight. See ya soon!

Runs 1-6

Run 1: Timberline Lift - Upper Villager - Sure Shot - Timberline Run

[1.07 mi; 3:34; 955 ft; 31.8 mph max; 18.0 mph avg]

Run 2: Timberline Lift - Upper Tattle Tale - Lower Tattle Tale - Timberline Run

[0.99 mi; 4:05; 997 ft; 25.9 mph max; 14.5 mph avg]

Run 3: Timberline Lift - Brandywine - Lower Brandywine - Timberline Run

[0.95 mi; 4:11; 978 ft; 26.1 mph max; 13.6 mph avg]

Run 4: Timberline Lift - Brandywine - Intro - Spellbinder - Timberline Run

[0.80 mi; 3:40; 991 ft; 27.4 mph max; 13.1 mph avg]

Run 5: Timberline Lift - Brandywine - Intro - Showtime

[0.73 mi; 3:02; 981 ft; 25.8 mph max; 14.4 mph avg]

Run 6: Timberline Lift - Upper Villager - Lower Villager

[0.59 mi; 2:15; 387 ft; 22.9 mph max; 15.8 mph avg]

The Vista was down most of the day yesterday, but I was thirlled to see it was spinning today! I decided since it was almost fully open, I'd ski all of the open Timberline side before scootching over to the main side. I did have my Indy in my pocket, which made the RFID scanner mad, so I poved my Bolton pass to my arm pocket (which I didn't know I had), and it made all the difference! Run #1 was up Timberline and down Upper Villager, Sure Shot, and Timberline Run, and I knew it was going to be a fun day of tee's and hee's! The snow was soft and NICE. 

Run #2 went up Timberline again (I'd also like to point out that I didn't share a single chair on Timberline) and down Tattle Tale and Timberline Run, which was just as fun as Sure Shot, but steeper and longer with a few bumps. The bumps had a few ice bulges, but nothing of problem, and I was still giddy!

Runs #3 and #4 were two of my favorites on this side. #3 followed Brandywine to Lower Brandywine. Brandywine was soft and bumpy and fun, and Lower Brandywine had only a few tracks and bouncy bumps (and again, a few sketchy spots due to the thaw/freeze, but all fun). Strong snow/graupel was falling during this, which kept things moving nicely too! #4 was down Brandywine, Intro, and then to Spellbinder, which felt like the steepest du jour on this side (according to SteepSeeker, Tattle Tale is a little steeper), and had some sketchier bumps to navigate, but overall was still just a blast.

My final two runs on this side were down the liftline, which had a nice combo of bumps, cords, and speed, and finally I rode Upper Villager to Lower Villager, bringing me to the delightfully not-busy main side.

Alpine Snow Report

Sunday, March 22nd, 2026

9:38 UPDATE: Rope drops all over! Thanks to our ski patrollers, we've got lots of new terrain for today. Get out there and have some fun!

Runs 7-11

Run 7: Vista Lift - Vista Glades - Sherman's Pass - Bull Run - Sleepy Hollow - Moose Run - Glades - Primer Loop

[1.16 mi; 6:51; 1,027 ft; 24.2 mph max; 10.2 mph avg]

Run 8: Vista Lift - Spillway Lane - Spillway - Sherman's Pass - Glades - Primer Loop

[0.93 mi; 4:26; 1,020 ft; 26.5 mph max; 12.6 mph avg]

Run 9: Vista Lift - Hard Luck Lane - Hard Luck - Moose Run - Glades - Primer Loop

[0.93 mi; 4:32; 1,020 ft; 25.6 mph max; 12.4 mph avg]

Run 10: Vista Lift - Hard Luck Lane - Vermont 200 - Sherman's Pass - Bear Run - TFR - Primer Loop - Beach Seal

[1.02 mi; 4:42; 1,020 ft; 30.2 mph max; 13.0 mph avg]

Run 11: Vista Lift - Cobrass - Five Corners - Timberline Run

[2.02 mi; 9:27; 1,617 ft; 26.5 mph max; 12.8 mph avg]

The snow continued on and off for the next few runs, even showcasing some views here and there! My only real goal now was to hit the main steeps and the Vista Glades, and anything else would be bonus! Run #7 was down the aformentioned Vista Glades, which for lack of better terms, absolutely ripped. Even the spots that were clearly the mountain bike course skied so nicely, it was a blast! I continued onto Sherman's Pass and then onto Bull Run, which brought me to a barely-tracked entrance to Sleepy Hollow, which was... fine? Heavy, wet, fresh snow and very few tracks had my legs and brain a little lost, but I survived! This spat me out onto Moose Run and then into the lower stretch of Glades, which is always a favorite of mine.

Run #8 was down Spillway, which was in good shape! I continued onto Sherman's Pass and did all of Glades this time. Run #9 was more of the same, but I hit Hard Luck instead of Spillway. Both were wonderful and fun! I also giggled at accidentally landing at Glades again after Run #9 - I didn't mean to, as I was just randomly skiing down, but I enjoyed it for sure!

Run #10 was a new one for me - down Hard Luck Lane to Vermont 200, which was closed last time and had a "thin cover" sign today. It did not ski thin cover, though. It was fun! Narrow, bumpy, kind of like Parmanchene Belle or Golden Smelt at Saddleback, super fun - definitely a new favorite! Only bummer was the snow had changed to sleet, which froze on contact higher up, so I was a bit... crusty now.

I hopped back on the Vista for Run #11, sharing with a guy from western New York. The Vista stopped for a few minutes with us on it while it was sleeting/freezing onto us, and we both were worried it was a repeat of yesterday. After a few minues of casual chit chat (and him taking a swig of his flask), the lift started moving incredibly slowly, and I noticed that they were not loading any more chairs. Bummer! I took this one as a sign to ski back to Timberline and regroup. Cobrass was fun and very variable, and the rest of the run was easy peasy.

Alpine Snow Report

Sunday, March 22nd, 2026

1:10 UPDATE: Vista is currently on hold for a mechanical issue. Our team is working on resolving the problem. Stay tuned for updates.

Runs 12-15

Run 12: Timberline Lift - Upper Villager - Lower Villager

[0.68 mi; 3:10; 367 ft; 27.0 mph max; 12.9 mph avg]

Run 13: Mid-Mountain Lift - Beach Seal

[0.31 mi; 1:19; 325 ft; 24.7 mph max; 14.1 mph avg]

Run 14: Mid-Mountain Lift - Enchanted Forest - TFR - Primer Loop

[0.45 mi; 2:11; 322 ft; 26.1 mph max; 12.2 mph avg]

Run 15: Mid-Mountain Lift - Bear Run - Primer Loop - Cobrass Run - Bear Run

[0.54 mi; 2:14; 358 ft; 25.2 mph max; 14.6 mph avg]

I thought about calling it, but I wanted to give the roads (especially the access road and I-89, which had a decent backup on it when I checked) time to calm down, so I ran inside the Timberline Lodge for a bathroom break and swapped out my soaking wet mittens for dry ones at the car before getting back to work! I decided a nice side quest would be to ride every chair before I left (Wilderness was not running on this day, sadly). I took the Timberline Lift back on up and followed Villager all the way back.

From here, I got three runs in on the Mid-Mountain Lift. #13 I shared with a dad who I rode the Vista with earlier - he did not get stuck on the Vista. I skied down Beach Seal, which is short but consistently wonderful. #14 was solo and I went down Enchanted Forest to TFR and Primer loop, whicih was nice a and soft the whole way. I tried to get to the top of Snowflake, or at least see how close I could get), on Run #15. I followed Bear Run and cut through to Primer Loop and Cobrass Run, but could only see the top of Snowflake, too high up to skate to, so I followed Bear Run the rest of the way down.

Alpine Snow Report

Sunday, March 22nd, 2026

2:40pm UPDATE: Vista will be closed for the rest of the evening.

Runs 16-17

Run 16: Snowflake Lift - Foxy - Lower Foxy

[0.31 mi; 1:14; 276 ft; 27.6 mph max; 15.2 mph avg]

Run 17: Snowflake Lift - Timberline Lane - Timberline Run

[1.26 mi; 5:05; 886 ft; 28.5 mph max; 14.8 mph avg]

I skied over to Snowflake lift and followed Foxy to Lower Foxy first, which was a nice, mellow run, and wrapped up my day taking the Snowflake Lift to Timberline Lane and Timberline Run. I was sopping wet by the end of this journey, but it was a super fun day! I will always be a big fan of Bolton Valley, and some day I'll make it on a day with 2' of fresh snow, I swear I will!

My drive home was long but not too slow, thankfully. I got gas station lunch and wiggled all the way back to Boston, landing around 6:30pm. Ray comically said "WHERE did you go?!" since he'd been home for hours at that point! He was starting to ask about buying skis and an Indy Pass for next year... 

Map of Bolton Valley

Skiing Jay Peak (Day 36)

Skiing Jay Peak

Saturday, March 21st, 2026

Runs: 20

Distance: 17.19 miles

Elevation: 15,984 feet

Max Speed: 31.6 mph

Avg. Speed: 11.0 mph

Moving Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes, 7 seconds

Total Time: 7 hours, 25 minutes, 2 seconds

After yesterday's hike up Mt. Wachusett, Emma and I (and later Ray) had a wonderfully awful drive up to Vermont! Slippery snow, lots of people off the roads, and simply unpleasant driving conditions. Thankfully, we were rewarded with pizza (that we ordered)! Ray landed about an hour after us, we watched half of Hot Dog... The Movie!, and got to bed and ready for an early morning at Jay! This was going to be Ray's third and final "Learn to Turn" day, and I was just looking forward to playing around my favorite mountain and hopefully crossing off some more needed trails. The drive was wet from last night's snow, but not awful. Comically, we were all piled into Sarah's car (which was a NICE drive!). We dropped off our patrollers, and Ray and I headed inside for some breakfast and slow chores. I told him my plan or getting a power 1.5 hour in, but then I'd claim him around 9:30 to make sure he's all good for his lesson and to get some laps in. I gave him very specific instructions on what trails to take and what trails not to take, we'd see if he'll listen!

Snow Report

I forgot to screenshot the Snow Report :(

Runs 1-4

Run 1: Taxi Quad - Queen's Highway

[0.71 mi; 2:29; 548 ft; 26.0 mph max; 17.1 mph avg]

Run 2: Metro Quad - Bushwhacker

[0.70 mi; 3:27; 525 ft; 23.8 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Run 3: Metro Quad - Perry Merril Ave - Quarter Moon - Queen's Highway

[0.74 mi; 3:06; 518 ft; 25.2 mph max; 14.3 mph avg]

Run 4: Metro Quad - Perry Merril Ave - Chalet Meadows

[0.58 mi; 3:18; 341 ft; 25.9 mph max; 10.6 mph avg]

To my dismay, after a wonderful first run down Queen's Highway through buttery-soft snow, I realized that it was going to be a busy day again, and last weekend's lack of crowds were simply a fluke. The Tram line was already ridiculous, so I figured I'd get some laps in on the Metro until the Flyer opened for the day. Run #2 was down Bushwahcker - the groomed path was in great shape, but anything off of that was dust-on-rocks-and-roots. Run #3 was in the other direction down Quarter Moon, which was in much better shape and super fun! I got a text that Team Snowboard had landed at Stateside, so I took a run down Perry Merril and Chalet Meadows to find them.

Runs 5-6

Run 5: Bonaventure Quad - Goat Run - Green Mountain Boys - Deer Run - Ullr's Dream

[1.31 mi; 5:10; 1,631 ft; 26.3 mph max; 15.3 mph avg]

Run 6: Flyer Express Quad - Northway - Canyonland - Taxi - Show Off Glade - Micky

[1.29 mi; 11:15; 1,526 ft; 30.1 mph max; 6.9 mph avg]

Ray was still getting situated with his passes and rentals. Jay told him that he'd need to get his own pass for the day, so Emma gave him one of hers. I claimed Team Snowboard, and we hopped onto the Bonnie, which had a medium line - we hit the single's line and waited for no more than two minutes. I was hellbent on getting to The Flash, so we skied down Goat Run to Green Mountain Boys - both were scratchy. To my dismay, the cut-through through Exposition was AGAIN closed - no Flash for me (Sarah later pointed out I can get there through Expo Glade, which I always forget exists). We followed the lower part of Green Mountain boys to the delight that is Deer Run, which did make up!

Run #6 brought us up The Flyer (singles line, but Elizabeth and I got to ride together!) to Northway and onto Canyonland, which was pretty fine! I've gotten so much better at trees this season, and I love that I'm able to just ski them and not worry about dying all the time (just most the time, now!). We got pooped onto Taxi and aimed for Bonaventure Glade, but it was FULL of people, so we went one more over to Show Off Glade, which was functionally the exact same (maybe with a few more exposed rivers now?) and bottomed out on Micky before finding Ray!

Runs 7-9

Run 7: Taxi Quad - Queen's Highway

[0.71 mi; 3:04; 548 ft; 25.2 mph max; 14.0 mph avg]

Run 8: Metro Quad - Perry Merril Ave - Raccoon Run

[0.80 mi; 4:22; 558 ft; 20.3 mph max; 10.9 mph avg]

Run 9: Village Chair - Chalet Meadows - Shakedown

[0.19 mi; 1:18; 154 ft; 19.3 mph max; 8.9 mph avg]

We TRIED to claim Ray, but he did not listen to my very clear instructions that I texted to him. I called and asked where he was and he said "it says Metro Quad" - he was on Tramside. I told him to not move a muscle and we were on our way! We flew down Queen's Highway, claimed Ray, and introducted him to the world's slowest chair. Snowboard Emma and I wanted Ray and Elizabeth to fall in love, so we took Ray down Perry Merril to Raccoon Run and had them sit together on the Village Chair - they did NOT fall in love, sadly. We had a great run, though! At the top of the chair we saw it was 10:40, so time for Ray's lesson! Snowboard Emma, Elizabeth, and I hit the Shakedown Park (three boxes and a jump, my DREAM), did some quick chores, and sent Ray off to his last day of ski school! We're so proud of him!

Runs 10-14

Run 10: Bonaventure Quad - Goat Run - Green Mountain Boys - North Glade - Deer Run - Ullr's Dream

[1.21 mi; 8:26; 1,535 ft; 22.1 mph max; 8.6 mph avg]

Run 11: Flyer Express Quad - Poma Line - Ullr's Dream - Beaver Pond Glade - Kokomo - Ullr's Dream

[1.85 mi; 11:17; 1,729 ft; 26.9 mph max; 9.9 mph avg]

Run 12: Metro Quad - Perry Merril Ave - Chalet Meadows

[0.71 mi; 3:11; 371 ft; 24.8 mph max; 13.4 mph avg]

Run 13: Jet Triple - Timbuktu

[0.94 mi; 9:08; 1,240 ft; 29.6 mph max; 6.2 mph avg]

Run 14: Jet Triple - Montrealer - Northway - Hell's Woods - Hell's Crossing - Paradise Meadows

[1.07 mi; 6:25; 1,201 ft; 31.6 mph max; 9.9 mph avg]

We had no idea how long Ray's lesson would be, so we set a 1:30pm Rendez-Vous time (mostly because he can hold his own and I wanted some adventure skiing while the snow is still good). We dropped him off and went back to the Bonnie for Run #10. We decided to focus mostly on the glades for these runs, so we went back down Goat to Green Mountain Boys and had a wonderful time in North Glade before finishing onn Deer Run. Run #11 was intended to be Andre's Paradise, but I chickened out and lost speed before the up-ramp at the bottom of Ullr's headwall. I did hit Poma Line, which was... weird, which seems to be it's usual state of being. Beaver Pond was wonderful as always, even though it was decently crowded (we interrupted a 10-12 person safety meeting). Kokomo was a dream, per usual, as well.

Run #12 was up the Metro (the Flyer stopped running for a few minutes and we didn't want to get caught, since the Freezer was in full effect) and down Perry Merril to Chalet Meadows and all the way over to The Jet since Emma and Sarah were having their sit and I wanted to hit up Timbuktu. The line for the Jet was expectedly awful, but the single's line was moving decently. Poor Emma had a migrane, so we just quickly popped in to say hi at the top shack and then headed into Timbuktu, which was not as challenging as I expected. Sure, it was steep and maybe a little tight up top, but I think Saddleback shifted my brain chemistry on what challenging trees are (thank you, Casablanca 0). The lower part was fun and pretty mellow/open, and I was hyper-cognizant about staying in-bounds to not become the talk of patrol (and I know they would NOT be nice to me!). The lower bit was truly a bit underwhelming - felt more of a traverse than anything since we were cutting diagonally across the fall line at a not-so-steep angle, maybe I'm missing the part of Timbuktu that people lose their  minds over? Either way, it was nice to get onto The Willard and get some bigger turns in.

We could have gone back to Stateside, but Ray was back on the Taxi and we decided it would be less energy to wait in line again for the Jet (I love being lazy). We got super lucky on this one, because the lifty was loading triple-singles over and over again, we waited in a comically long line for only about three minutes! We also got to ride together, which was just the icing on the cake. 

Run #13 was down Montrealer to Hell's Woods. Partway down, I saw Emma and Sarah skiing down on Hell's Crossing, so I skied faster than I ever had in a glade to catch up to them - so fun! Emma was still hurting, so they were heading to the patrol room for some medication for her. The rest of us skied on back toward Stateside and got in line for rice balls! We had a drink, too, and a nice sit on the ground. The sun popped out for a bit, which was just a delight. Ray was very pleased with his first rice ball, too! I also ran into a recurring character, the Beekeeper, in the lodge, but we didn't talk long (I had to pee and everytime we spoke when I was in my dating era he'd stop responding after 72 hours until I saw him again at Jay).

Runs 15-19

Run 15: Taxi Quad - Queen's Highway - Grammy Jay

[0.77 mi; 4:33; 591 ft; 23.1 mph max; 10.2 mph avg]

Run 16: Village Chair - Queen's Highway

[0.44 mi; 2:46; 312 ft; 19.4 mph max; 9.5 mph avg]

Run 17: Metro Quad - Deer Run - Ullr's Dream

[0.72 mi; 3:56; 515 ft; 24.2 mph max; 11.0 mph avg]

Run 18: Metro Quad - Perry Merril Ave - Grammy Jay

[0.88 mi; 4:44; 554 ft; 21.2 mph max; 9.6 mph avg]

Run 19: Village Chair - Chalet Meadows

[0.18 mi; 1:09; 135 ft; 16.0 mph max; 9.6 mph avg]

We said goodbye to the snowboarders after rice balls and Ray and I ventured off to get some runs in together. Run #15 was up the Taxi and down to the infamous Grammy Jay. We skied right up to the headwall and talked through it - I told him he can do tight turns, wide turns, to send it and pray. He decided to go for tighter turns, and did a great job! Not a single fall!

Run #16 was up the Village Chair and down Queen's Highway to hop on the Metro for Run #17, which brought us over to Deer Run, which is just a delight. I spent some good time practicing my whirlybirds, which are coming along nicely! I think I'm most successful when I get my weight as centered as possible and kind of force my hips around (before I was basically trying to carve my way through them, which was NOT working).

We got back on the Metro for #18. We followed Perry Merril and hit the Grammy Jay again, where Ray got some more speed AND stuck it! Ray's final run was up the Village Chair and down Chalet Meadows - I blasted off to the Bonnie to get one (or two) more upper mountain runs in.

Run 20

Run 20: Bonaventure Quad - Northway - Upper Milk Run - Taxi - Bonaventure Glade - Micky

[1.36 mi; 8:01; 1,453 ft; 27.6 mph max; 10.2 mph avg]

Tragically, the Bonnie took me about 20 minutes to get off due to constant stopping... oh well! I followed Northway to Upper Milk which was... bad! Giant bumps with long stretches of sheet ice in between - I wish they had never groomed it! I landed on Taxi eventually and continued into the Bonaventure Glade for a really nice final push. Again, I'm feeling good about trees! Who would have thought years ago I'd be doing this! OH! I also forgot to mention (I forgot on the day, too) that this was my 100th day on skis! So fun!

Back at the lodge, we changed in the cafeteria and went for a drink at Howie's, which was busy as hell with folks wrapping up their day of freestyle competition. Thankfully, Ray and I got a spot at the bar, and the best bartender, MJ, got to us once Emma and Sarah showed up just a few minutes later. We had a few rounds of drinks here, congratulated Ray on his big day, MJ showed us a drone video of him skiing in Alaska, and then we headed into the patrol room for the St. Patrick's Day party (I told EVERYONE about Ray conquering the Grammy Jay headwall). We wrapped up after an hour or so and got a delicious dinner at the Village Tavern in Jeffersonville before falling asleep soon after.

Map of Jay Peak (2025-2026, Updated)

Mt. Wachusett Double via West Side, Pine Hill, Harrington (Wachusett Mountain State Reservation)

Mt. Wachusett Double via West Side, Pine Hill, Harrington (Wachusett Mountain State Reservation)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loopty Loop

Distance: 4.70 miles

Elevation: 1,450 feet

Time: 2 hours, 6 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2026; Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike 

My favorite tradition the past couple of years has been taking a break from the Massachusetts Music Educator's Association Conference and do a little "solo session" on Mt. Wachusett. I was feeling a bit socially drained and possibly hungover, so a first-day-of-spring romp was just what I needed. I opted to start from my favorite trail, the West Side Trail, and just see where the day took me! The road in was a little soft, but didn't pose much of a problem besides an occasional swerve in and out of a rut. It was absolutely beautiful out in the upper 40s, so I threw on shorts and a long sleeve with a fleece and spikes in the backpack just in case. 

There was no snow to be seen at the start of the hike with just a few small, avoidable ice flows. At the first steeper push there were some impressive iciles off-trail, and I found myself just feeling wonderful with the sun shining on my body (minus the upset stomach...). The trail got a little wet near the junction with the Semuhenna Trail, but nothing of problem. I loved hearing the chair lift through the woods, ski season isn't over yet!

There was a decent patch of ice after the Midstate joined the West Side Trail, but it was fine with a few careful steps. There were bits and pieces of rotted monorail leftover, too. The steep part of Old Indian was completely fine, and before I knew it I was at the top of the ski area! There were a good amount of people up there unloading from the new six-pack, but I was delighted to see there was almost nobody up at the true summit. It was chilly and breezy up at the tower, and the view to Monadnock made me excited to venture out there again hopefully soon.

I decided against my better judgement to descend via Pine Hill to make an almost double summit loop. Thankfully, Pine Hill is just a series of well-structured stairs. I also found the third disc finally! There is one near the Harrington terminus at the summit, one nearish the railing on the way to Pine Hill Trail, and the third was to the left of the pedestrian walkway (almost like you were joining the trail early) in an area with a strange amount of old chimneys - yay!

The descent was completely fine minus one 10-foot patch of deeper snow, but no traction was needed. I was definitely feeling the hike (and lack of previous hiking) in my legs. I turned onto Bicentennial, which was rugged but dry, and continued up the Loop Trail, past the lovely view, and over the endless rocks (it's actually a pretty nice trail). I decided to take Mountain House to Link to Harrington, because I remember the final bit of Harrington before the road to be a doozy, and I was right! Decent ice flows and usual scrambles had me glad I was not descending them. I got a little gassed on the final push, but was relieved to make it up again! I don't fully consider this a true double summit becuase my rule is usually that I need to touch a trailhead to make it a double, but I still felt satisfied.

I went down Mountain House from the summit, which was a bit cloudier, windier, and chillier this time, and took it back onto Link and then to Harrington/Semuhenna. Semuhenna was a little muddy but still not nearly as bad as I anticipated. It looked like it WAS a whole lot worse a week or so ago. My final descent down West Side Trail was quiet and lovely, and soon I was back in the car and headed up to Vermont. The drive up had everything from blue skies to torrential rain to rough, slippery snow. Fun!

Step-by-Step

- Park at West Side Trail trailhead.

- Start hike on West Side Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Old Indian Trail.

- From summit, descend via Pine Hill Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Bicentennial Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Loop Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Mountain House Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto Link Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Harringtoin Trail.

- From summit, descend via Mountain House Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Link Trail.

- At terminus, turn left onto Harrington Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Semuhenna Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto West Side Trail.

- Follow West Side Trail to car.

Wachusett Mountain State Reservation Map

Photo Album

Hemlock Pool & Middlesex Fells Reservoir Area (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Hemlock Pool & Middlesex Fells Reservoir Area (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Hike Type: Tracing Loop

Distance: 4.75 miles

Elevation: 377 feet

Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2026

The Hike 

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I am convinced that all children are evil leprechauns becuase work was BAD today. I scooted over to the Fells before going to Christien's for a little stomp around. I landed around 3:15pm and temps were in the mid-40s with a chilly breeze but bright sunshine. Plan was to romp around the Rock Circuit Trail corridor hitting as many new trails as I could. I had shorts on with a long sleeve and fleece to start - it was feeling like a fall day!

I crossed Woodland Road and continued onto Woodland Path, which was expectedly wet. I was wishing I had a pair of gloves and my buff, but oh well! I maneuvered around a decent amount of sticks, twigs, branches, and the works after last night's wind storm, and there was a little flooded stretch near the Rock Circuit/E5-2 area, but nothing outrageous. I hiked the Hemlock Pool Path, first to Hemlock Pool, where I heard the beautiful call of Wood Frogs! Two guys were skipping rocks on the pool, which like, fine, but let the frogs croak in peace!

I took off my fleece and hiked towards Gate 53 and a little spur trail along a stream which REALLY smelled like spring (which I concluded is simply the smell of wet, formerly frozen, dirt). There was a little unmapped trail in this area that I followed for fun which passed a vernal pool and a very stoic female mallard.

I walked briefly along East Border Road and then went back into the woods for some more wandering, slowly making my way towards E4-4, which had a pond that was still slightly frozen! I also passed a group of about 13 preteen boys with 13 shih tzus? It was mystifying and terrifying, I got OUT of there fast!

I hiked the network of roads around Gate 35 and eventually made my way to the Fells Reservoir, passing at least 70 robins on the way and some animal that seems to have exploded (fur EVERYWHERE). I always thought the Fells Reservoir was like the ones on the Winchester/Medford side - closed to the public, but it was very clearly open to hiking as long as you stayed on the trails, and it was STUNNING. 

I hiked along the reservoir for a little and then circled around the restricted area which had something burred underground, I'm guessing pumps and water storage and the works. I'm really looking forward to coming back! I made my way to F5-1, hit a few hanging chads around there, and then followed the Cross-Fells Trail all the way back to the car!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Flynn Rink.

- Start hike by crossing Woodland Road and entering Gate 33 onto Woodland Path.

- At E4-7, turn right.

- At E5-1, turn left onto Rock Circuit Trail.

- At E5-2, turn left onto Hemlock Pool Path.

- At E4-13, turn around.

- At E5-3, turn right.

- At Highland Ave, turn around.

- At E5-3, turn left onto Hemlock Pool Path.

- At Gate 54, turn left onto East Border Road.

- At jct., turn left onto path.

- Hike triangle around E4-14, then continue on Hemlock Pool Road toward Gate 35.

- At Gate 35, turn around.

- At E4-3, turn left.

- At E4-1, turn left onto Reservation Path.

- At Woodland Road, turn around.

- At E4-2, turn right.

- At E4-4, turn around.

- At E4-2, turn right onto Reservation Path.

- At F4-5, turn right to circle Fells Reservoir.

- Hike the circle around the restricted area, and then hike towards F5-1.

- From F5-1, turn right onto Hemlock Pool Road.

- At nearest point to Rock Circuit Trail, turn around.

- At F5-1, turn sharply left onto Cross-Fells Trail.

- Follow Cross-Fells Trail back to car.

Middlesex Fells Reservation Map

Photo Album

Skiing Black Mountain (NH) (Day 35/Indy Day 27)

Skiing Black Mountain

Sunday, March 15th, 2026

Runs: 9

Distance: 7.31 miles

Elevation: 7,444 feet

Max Speed: 33.9 mph

Avg. Speed: 11.3 mph

Moving Time: 51 minutes, 8 seconds

Total Time: 6 hours, 49 minutes, 49 seconds

Back at Black! I will absolutely be staying at Whitney's Inn again, if anything for the sheer convenience (but also, it's SO cute!). We slowly got ready and made it into the lodge around 8:45am. Emma, Gen, and Sarah (and Emma's dog, Lola), were all there and getting ready! I got my Indy Pass for the day and we got Christien fully checked in for his lesson and rentals ($155 for a 3-hour lesson, rentals, and a full mountain lift ticket is a GOOD deal!). Ray landed soon after and we did the same for him, making sure their boots fit well and they had all they needed for the day! We dropped them off at their 9:30am lessons, took a billion photos, and then got on with our ski day!

 

Conditions

Sunday, March 15

It's a beautiful day on the mountain. Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 38F today, setting up for comfortable conditions and great turns across the hill. Our crew groomed last night, laying down a smooth surface and setting things up nicely for today's skiing and riding.

Join us this afternoon for live music in the Base Lodge with Dan Aldrich from 1-4 PM. It's a great chance to warm up, grab a drink, and enjoy some music between laps. Don't miss our full sit-down dinner menu tonight - the perfect way to wrap up a great day on the mountain.

We recommend carpooling whenever possible, as we expect a good turnout today.

It's a great day to be here.

Runs 1-2

Run 1: Summit Double Chair - Upper Black Beauty - Black Beauty - Juniper

[1.23 mi; 5:35; 1,079 ft; 24.6 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 2: Summit Double Chair - Upper Maple Slalom - Chute - Jackson Standard

[0.85 mi; 3:03; 1,079 ft; 33.0 mph max; 16.6 mph avg]

Our first run was Gen, Sarah, Emma, and I, and it brought us up the double to gawk at how spectacular Mt. Washington was looking and then down Upper Black Beauty, which started off fine and quickly became death cookie hell - I skied half of it with my tips crossed after hitting one. Black Beauty proper was also... a mistake. The freeze and thaw had it as a rough-surfaced boilerplace, just unpleasant. Juniper, however, was lovely!

Run #2 was MUCH better, bringing us down Upper Maple Slalom to Chute to Jackson Standard, which was a win for the day! Gen sat this one out, needing to run inside for some chores. The trail were hard and fast, but the ones that were groomed overnight were actually in pretty good shape. We saw Ray and Christien at the bottom on the handle tow looking great! I was worried that Ray would get bored if the lesson stayed this beginner, though, becuase he really did a great job on his first day at Waterville and could definitely handle more than that.

Runs 3-4

Run 3: Summit Double Chair - Upper Maple Slalom - Alpine Cabin - East Bowl - Spruce - Black Beauty - Juniper

[0.93 mi; 7:36; 1,047 ft; 28.0 mph max; 7.4 mph avg]

Run 4: Summit Double Chair - Upper Maple Slalom - Alpine Cabin - East Bowl - Juniper

[0.92 mi; 5:31; 1,066 ft; 26.4 mph max; 10.0 mph avg]

Andrew and Linnea (and Gen, again) had officially joined the party for Run #3! They newlyweds were a few chairs ahead of us, so we all met at the top (where they ran into some high school classmates) for some family photos. We skied down Upper Maple Slalom to the Alpine Cabin for the first of MANY pit stops. The six of us each got a drink varying from alcohol to hot chocolate and officially started our day of silliness. We got a few (more) silly photos at the cabin before it got overcrowded, Emma and Linnea bought some face glitter, and we tee'd and hee'd the whole time! After a bit, Sarah and I both had to use the bathroom, so we skied down to finish our run. I planned to scope out the easiest way down for Ray and Christien for when they finished their lessons. Sarah and I did an OKAY job. Spruce was in great shape, but then we accidentally turned back onto Black Beauty and both screamed "NOOOOOO" as our entire bodies vibrated. Thankfully, we were able to quickly cut through to Juniper to save the day. At the bottom, we found Christien at the handle tow, seeming like he was having fun! He said Ray did age out of the beginner lesson, which made me feel relieved!

Sarah and I took care of our chores, I restocked my pocket drink, and we headed right back to the lift. I was putting my skis back on near the lift and I heard "what are you waiting for?" and it was Ray! Sarah CHARGED after him, which resulted in a very funny photo that looked like she was being raptured. I was a little surprised to see him getting on the double, but maybe they were going to tackle the comically steep mid station? Emma, Linnea, and Andrew also all joined us at this point, and Gen was up at the cabin holding down our table. 

Gen got photos of us on our way back up and we saw Ray looking Upper Black Beauty in the eyes with his teacher - not gonna lie I was a bit worried for him with those death cookies! The five of us skied back to the cabin for some more silliness until the boys' lessons wrapped up. A little before 12:30pm, Gen and I skied down to get some lunch and the kids! Ray wrapped up first (on the triple, one summit run was more than enough for him). He and Gen got lunch at the cafeteria and carefully brought it up to the cabin. Christien finished up a few minutes later off of the poma lift, so then he and I did the same!

Runs 5-7

Run 5: East Bowl Triple - Alpine Cabin - Sugarbush - Juniper

[1.07 mi; 9:32; 784 ft; 16.9 mph max; 6.7 mph avg]

Run 6: Platter Pull - Ninow

[0.23 mi; 1:31; 174 ft; 15.3 mph max; 9.2 mph avg]

Run 7: East Bowl Triple - Chute - Jackson Standard

[0.55 mi; 1:14; 692 ft; 33.9 mph max; 26.9 mph avg]

He did a great job on his first chair lift ride! I carried the poles and both bits of lunch (he bought lunch, I brought my leftovers from last night). He dismounted without a fall, and we were soon sitting up at the cabin for lunch and drinks! It was a super silly day and I was just having so much fun, and I was really glad Ray and Christien were able to join us for it!

We were revving up to get a magnum of champagne, but I encouraged Christien to get a run or two in beforehand just so he knew what to expect on the way down before throwing booze into his body. This was a good move! We left the cabin and followed Sugarbush, which was mellow but narrow. He did great! At the right turn after the Sugar Shack the trail became a bit more uneven with a few trees to dodge and a slightly steeper grade, which did send him into his first fall, but he recovered miracuously! It's fun watching him and Ray ski down together - Ray learned the way I learned - scared and slow. Christien, on the other hand (and apparently his teacher said this ), has a need for speed! His method was gaining speed (accidentally) and falling beautifully, which honeslty wasn't the worst! We made it onto Juniper and survived the final descent back to the lodge to do a quick pee. 

Naturally, I proposed we do a quick run on the poma before heading back up. It was Christien, Ray, Sarah, and I, and Ninow was excellent! Christien looked much more comfortable (and said he felt better on it). It's a shame there isn't a 5% easier way down from the cabin. We tee-hee'd all the way down and got back onto the Triple!

As a group, we set 2:30pm as the time we were going to get our champagne. The four of us got back up at 2:20, and we saw a text from Emma saying she just got on the double. Sarah and I looked at each other with a twinkle in our eyes and decided to do a quick bomber run down Jackson Standard, and it was a JOY. We made it back at 2:31pm, of course apologized for being late, and then it was time for Champagne!

Runs 8-9

Run 8: East Bowl Triple - Alpine Cabin - East Bowl - Spruce - Juniper

[0.73 mi; 7:36; 751 ft; 12.8 mph max; 5.9 mph avg]

Run 9: East Bowl Triple - Alpine Cabin - Sugarbush - Spruce - Juniper

[0.80 mi; 9:39; 768 ft; 16.8 mph max; 6.0 mph avg]

Sarah and I took the Triple up since there was no line and then Emma and I went in to get the bottle. $200 for a magnum of Veuve truly isn't the worst deal, as it would be even more if we were at a restaurant. We took silly photos with the giant bottle, did multiple rounds of cheers, and just had a wonderfully, silly time up with friends. Naturally, after a while I had to pee, so Christien, Ray, Gen, Sarah, and I did a nice run down East Bowl, Spruce, and Juniper. I chose East Bowl, which is a blue, because it's significantly wider than the other trails in the area, which I thought would be better for them to practice traversing and not gaining speed... I was wrong! I did feel bad, but it was in good intention! He also felt bad and encouraged us to keep going, but I was firm about not being the guy who skis off and reminded him that my friends and I are truly happy to ski greens all day - it's the fun part about skiing with friends! Quality of life improved once we were back on Spruce and Juniper, with a few more beautiful falls when the trail gained pitch. We did our chores down low, and got back on the Triple for another stop at the cabin around 3:30pm!

We all yapped and enjoyed each other's company for the last half hour of the day and finally remembered to take a full group noggin photo before skiing down just after lifts stopped at 4:00pm (patrol was giving us the eyes). We talked about meeting at the "BLACK" sign at the base for a group photo afterwards, but it would turn out that Christien and I would take too long, so we got one of just the two of us. The run down was a bit tumultuous, mostly for him - I had a great time! I could tell that he was getting frustrated with falling, which got a little worse when a patroller caught up to us during his sweep while we were trying to get his ski back on on a steeper spot [of the green run] (he was absolutely lovely and kind and equally gave Christien some points and just chit chatted with me). I did my best to offer a mix of support and tips and reassurance, and I might have done a halfway decent job, but all was good once we made it back down. 

We took a few photos just the two of us outside, and then made our way inside to meet the rest of the crew for chorus and yapping. We all decided to go to the Red Fox on the way home, which was just delightful! He apologized to me for being ornery (which is a word I had never heard before) and I promised that he was not coming off that way at all. I truly had such a wonderful day with him and my friends, and he wants to ski again! Probably not this season just because of work, timing, and spring, but he said he's definitely interested. A win!

Map of Black Mountain (2025-2026)

Skiing Jay Peak (Day 34)

Skiing Jay Peak

Saturday, March 14th, 2026

Runs: 25

Distance: 27.86 miles

Elevation: 26,407 feet

Max Speed: 34.5 mph

Avg. Speed: 13.4 mph

Moving Time: 2 hours, 8 minutes, 15 seconds

Total Time: 6 hours, 53 minutes, 49 seconds

We had an early morning wake up and we were ready for a rough drive to Jay, but thankfully it was mostly okay! There was supposed to be a decent amount of precipitation in Northern Vermont, but thankfully most of the way it was dry or just full of flurries! The roads got a little slippery near the middle of the drive, but nothing too bad at all! I even made the left turn onto VT-118 without a SINGLE fishtail. There was a guy in the snowbank at the turn into Stateside Base, and I did fishtail a little there, but that's a win for me! The Bullwheel was delightfully empty as Gen and I took our time getting ready. Only bummer was that the ticket office opened at 8:00am, as did the lifts. I told Gen to get her Indy at 8:00am and I'd get first Taxi to Tramside to see how bad the line for the Tram was, and we'd go from there!

Snow Report

SATURDAY MARCH 14 AT 7:16 AM

A Fresh Mid-March Coat

Weekend lift hours today: Lower mountain lifts from 8am to 4:00pm. Upper mountain lifts from 8:30am to 4:00pm.

Snow showers rolled through the mountain while we were tucked away, leaving 2-3 inches of new snow across the hill, and it's still snowing lightly this morning. Those snow showers should linger on and off through the day, thanks to a pretty steep lapse rate in the atmosphere. It's much colder up in the clouds than it is down here, which keeps the air unstable enough to keep the flakes falling.

Temperatures in the clouds are well below zero, while down at ground level, even higher elevations should make their way into the 20s today. That setup will keep the snow light and keep a few additional refreshes moving through.

Wind will be the variable to watch. It's fairly manageable to start the day but is expected to pick up out of the northwest later this afternoon, which could have an impact on lift operations later on.

Looking ahead, tomorrow should be a quieter one, with mostly sunny skies and calmer conditions setting up across the mountain.

Early next week, however, the weather department may start getting creative again. We could see a little more snow late Sunday, but the pattern then shifts towards increasing wind and the potential for rain as we move into the early part of the next week.

But that's a problem for later. Swing by the Sumo Citrus tent at Alice's Patio on Tramside today for fun giveaways and the sweetest, easiest-to-peel citurs around.

For now, we've got fresh snow, mid-March temperatures in the 20s, and a snowy weekend underway.

Runs 1-3

Run 1: Taxi Quad - Queen's Highway

[0.73 mi; 4:37; 561 ft; 25.8 mph max; 9.5 mph avg]

Run 2: Tram - Northway - Goat Run - Queen's Highway - Grammy Jay

[2.31 mi; 9:24; 2,116 ft; 31.0 mph max; 14.7 mph avg]

Run 3: Village Chair - Queen's Highway

[0.51 mi; 2:14; 318 ft; 24.6 mph max; 13.6 mph avg]

The day started as planned - Gen went down to the ticket counter at 8:00am and I hopped right onto the Taxi for truly a WONDERFUL run down Queen's Highway with a fresh inch of snow. It was delightfully uncrowded this morning, so there were only a few tracks ahead of me. To my absolute delight, there was hardly a line for the Tram at 8:10am! A true sign of spring! I got in line and told Gen to get her booty on over. She landed around 8:22am, and the line had filled in by then. I did feel a little bad that she got to cut the line, but others were saving places for much larger groups so it was fine. This was her first Tram ride!

Up top, it was WINDY. We let most of the people go before we did, and we made sure to get a photo with the new sign up at the top! It was coated in a thin layer of rime ice, which was in stark contrast to the bare rock on the ridge that has now been exposed. We got our skis on and went on down! I know people hate on it because "why would you wait for the Tram for the Northway, but it's a damn lovely trail! We followed Northway around the summit, past Sis Boom Bah, a trail I still need to ski (and it looked BAD - ice capped moguls with dirt in between) and down past the Flyer. We saw Emma and Patrol Sarah digging out a sign at the unload, but we needed/wanted to keep our speed up, so we sent them good vibes as we zoomed by. The goal was to get down to the Village Chair, so we continued onto Goat Run, which was WONDERFUL. I forget how good a good Goat Run is. The inch of fresh snow skied magnificently. We hit the shenanigans junction, continued onto Queen's Highway, and then BLASTED (at a reasonable speed, nothing was skiing overly fast... yet) down the Grammy Jay, FLYING (coasting) past condo owners starting their day. According to Google Earth, the Village Chair is the lowest point of the resort, acting as the true tippy bottom (Metro/Flyer are at 572m, Village Chair at 560m, Bonnie at 623m, and the Jet at 614m). This was just a wonderful way to start the day! Afterwards, we got on the Village Chair and followed Queen's Highway back to Tramside.

Runs 4-6

Run 4: Green Mountain Flyer - Northway - Wedelmaster - Ullr's Dream - Kokomo

[2.04 mi; 7:50; 1,703 ft; 29.1 mph max; 15.6 mph avg]

Run 5: Green Mountain Flyer - Northway - JFK - Ullr's Dream - Kokomo

[1.69 mi; 5:42; 1,663 ft; 29.8 mph max; 17.7 mph avg]

Run 6: Green Mountain Flyer - Ullr's Dream

[1.83 mi; 8:48; 1,716 ft; 34.5 mph max; 12.5 mph avg]

Our next batch of runs were inspired by Gen's need to revist the Ullr's Dream headwall and my need to fill in the series of groomers off of the Flyer for my map. Run #4 was up the Flyer (no line!) to Wedelmaster (for me), and down Ullr's for Kokomo. Wedelmaster is such a lovely trail and so much easier than Ullrs' headwall! Gen had to take care of some business... in the bathroom... after this so I got a solo lap in down JFK, which had some patches of blue ice. JFK is also a really fun trail, and I always end up gaining way too much speed on it. Rumor has it that it used to be natural snow only and left ungroomed, and I wish they kept it that way! It would be such a fun, slightly narrow bump run. I continued down through Kokomo again.

Gen and I wrapped up our side quests at literally the same time, hopped in the single's line since crowds started to pick up (we never waited more than maybe two minutes), and met at the top for her capstone, revisiting Ullr's! She felt really good about how she skied the headwall. At the end she said "I didn't have to stop!" It was fun to see her so happy and proud of herself! For Strava and Strava only, we followed Ullr's all the way down, bypassing our beloved Kokomo. 

Runs 7-10

Run 7: Green Mountain Flyer - Alligator Alley - Goat Run - Green Mountain Boys - Lower River Quai - Perry Merril Ave - Queen's Highway

[1.55 mi; 6:58; 1,742 ft; 31.8 mph max; 13.4 mph avg]

Run 8: Green Mountain Flyer - Northway - Goat Run - Upper Exposition - Goat Run - Lower River Quai - Deer Run - Ullr's Dream

[1.63 mi; 7:4; 1,719 ft; 27.9 mph max; 12.6 mph avg]

Run 9: Green Mountain Flyer - Northway - Sweetheart

[1.50 mi; 7:06; 1,578 ft; 23.1 mph max; 12.6 mph avg]

Run 10: Jet Triple - Montrealer - Purgatory - Hell's Crossing - Paradise Meadows

[1.25 mi; 9:15; 1,240 ft; 33.4 mph max; 8.1 mph avg]

Goat Run was starting to get a little dicey, so Run #7 brought us down Alligator Alley to bypass the main cacophony of Goat. I was hoping to hit some of the trails in the Expo-Lower Quai area with these next few runs. We skied/scraped down Green Mountain Boys, where patrol was giving a beginner a quick lesson because she got herself in over her head, and we followed the cut-across to Lower River Quai. I asked Gen how adventerous she was feeling, and we decided we'd shoot for Quarter Moon! We skied down the Perry Merril access trail from Lower Quai, only to find that it was ungroomed and closed, boo! We circled back on Perry Merril and Queen's Highway to get back to the Flyer. 

Run #8 was back up the Flyer, which was now really embodying it's nickname as the Freezer - the winds were HOWLING above Alligator Alley and it was COLD. The run we did was great! We followed Northway to Goat again, per Gen's request. Goat was getting bumpy but still in decent shape, and it was only a little icy near the turns. I opted for upper Upper Exposition, which was a good move, and then we followed it to Lower River Quai, which was occupied by a FreeRide lesson, which was terrifying. I hoped to hit The Flash from here, but it would have been just a little too uphill, so instead we hit the cut-through all the way to Deer Run, which was an absolute dream (per usual).  After this run, we went inside to use the bathroom and Gen enjoyed a piece of Sumo Citrus from a giant orange tent/dome that the company had set up.

After our brief siesta, we got back on the Flyer and followed it all the way across the mountain to the Jet via Northway and Sweetheart. The new cut was icy as usual, and Sweetheart was a dream, as usual. Gen was ready for a more substantial break after this run, so we followed Montrealer to Purgatory to Hell's Crossing and then to Paradise Meadows. I grabbed some of my lodge pizza for a quick lunch while Gen got in line for rice balls. I knew that was going to take a while, and she wanted a longer break, so I spent the next few runs off by myself. 

Note from Gen: she ran into the patrollers! Emma also wanted a rice ball at this time. They had their sit at 10am at Sky Haus and then a training at 1pm, so we decided we'd meet up at 2pm to share at least one run together.

Runs 11-14
Run 11: Bonaventure Quad - Northway - Hell's Crossing - Sweetheart

[1.44 mi; 4:37; 1,463 ft; 28.8 mph max; 18.7 mph avg]

Run 12: Jet Triple - The Jet

[0.72 mi; 2:55; 1,237 ft; 31.0 mph max; 14.9 mph avg]

Run 13: Jet Triple - Montrealer - Catwalk - Angel's Wiggle - Taxi - Lower Can Am - Boulevard

[1.43 mi; 5:23; 1,181 ft; 29.0 mph max; 16.0 mph avg]

Run 14: Bonaventure Quad - Northway - Taxi - Queen's Highway - Chalet Meadows

[1.56 mi; 5:51; 1,411 ft; 30.0 mph max; 16.1 mph avg]

My four solo runs were all just for funsies and to see how some other trails were holding up. It was starting to snow again, which was hopefully going to make things a little less icy. The groomers were BUSY, even while the mountain was less-so, beacuse all of the natural trails and glades were closed. Run #11 was up the Bonnie and down Northway to Hell's Crossing and Sweetheart. Hard and fast, but not bad! Run #12 was up and down The Jet, which was in surprisingly decent shape (and an occasional random GIANT bump). Run #13 was down Montrealer to Angel's Wiggle to Taxi, which I followed all the way to Lower Can Am, past a couple that was doing a photo shoot at the good tree, to Boulevard. Gen wasn't yet ready for me, so I got back on the Bonnie and followed Northway to Taxi to Queen's Highway to Chalet Meadows. The runs were basically all a little scrapey, but the biggest hurdle was simply the humans!

Runs 15-17

Run 15: Taxi Quad - Queen's Highway - Raccoon Run

[0.68 mi; 2:28; 574 ft; 27.7 mph max; 16.6 mph avg]

Run 16: Village Chair  - Chalet Meadows

[0.21 mi; 1:06; 141 ft; 17.2 mph max; 11.2 mph avg]

Run 17: Bonaventure Quad - Northway - Angel's Wiggle - Hell's Crossing - Sweetheart

[1.47 mi; 5:54; 1,417 ft; 33.1 mph max; 14.9 mph avg]

I scooped Gen back up and she brought me a Coor's from my bag and an N/A beer for herself. We hopped on the Taxi and skied down Queen's Highway and Raccoon Run specifically to share a chair beer on the Village Chair, which was just lovely! Emma and Sarah were about ready afterwards, so we took Chalet Meadows back to the Stateside - it was SNOWING now!

We joined Emma and Sarah for Run #17. We rode up the Bonnie, getting absolutely pelted with snow, and while on the Bonnie they got the call that patrol should try to be waiting up high becuase injuries were starting to happen more and more frequently as the day went on - yikes! We did get a nice run in together, though. We went down Northway to Angel's Wiggle to Hell's and then Sweetheart. Northway was in it's classic afternoon shape of "what is happening," but fun if you're ready for variable conditions and people-dodging. With the falling snow, it was actually skiing better and better! Hell's to Sweetheart was just delightful, as it always is, and once at the Jet, Emma and Sarah skipped the line becuase they're on patrol while Gen and I hopped on the single's line (but got to sit together anyway, yay!). 

Runs 18-19

Run 18: Jet Triple - Montrealer - Catwalk - Angel's Wiggle - Taxi - Queen's Highway

[1.75 mi; 8:22; 1,388 ft; 27.4 mph max; 12.5 mph avg]

Run 19: Tramside Carpet

This started a series of silly runs for us. Run #18 brought us up the Jet and we followed Montrealer - Catwalk - Angel's Wiggle - Taxi, all the way to Queen's Highway to Tramside for a potty break. Naturally, the Tramside Carpet caught my eye, so we got a quick run there for old times sake (our first lift, ever!) before heaidng in.

Runs 20-23

Run 20: Metro Quad - Perry Merril Ave - Full Moon - Queen's Highway

[0.68 mi; 9:05; 535 ft; 20.4 mph max; 4.5 mph avg]

Run 21: Metro Quad - Perry Merril Ave - Queen's Highway

[0.59 mi; 2:59; 344 ft; 22.8 mph max; 11.8 mph avg]

Run 22: Stateside Carpet

Run 23: Taxi Quad - Boulevard

[0.44 mi; 2:15; 381 ft; 22.8 mph max; 11.8 mph avg]

Once we were back out, the Flyer was simply not moving and it was significantly windier out, so we decided to avoid that and hop on the Metro with a new goal of hitting every lift. We made the right call, because the Flyer was stopped for at least five minutes. We were planning to go to Stateside, but I saw that Full Moon was open and groomed, so Gen and I went on in! She did a great job with it, even trusting herself to get a little bit of speed on the "drop" and slowing down right afterwards. Only issue we had was trailing behind a duo that was going SLOW slow, but we both got to pass them. She later said this was her favorite run of the day!

Run #21 was back on task - Perry Merril to Queen's Highway. We hit the Stateside Carpet afterwards, and Run #23 was Gen's last one, so we went down Boulevard, which was an absolutely dream with the fresh ~2" of snow (plus it seems no one is ever on the Boulevard, which helps too!). 

Runs 24-25

Run 24: Bonaventure Quad - Goat Run - Green Mountain Boys - Racer - Harmony Lane

[1.29 mi; 5:00; 1,640 ft; 26.6 mph max; 15.5 mph avg]

Run 25: Metro Quad - Perry Merril Ave - Chalet Meadows

[0.56 mi; 2:37; 341 ft; 25.9 mph max; 12.7 mph avg]

Gen went inside afterwards and I decided I'd ski until lifts close. I got back on the Bonnie with the goal of actually getting The Flash this time. I skied Goat, which was back to being super fun, onto Green Mountain Boys, but then I saw the cut-through through Exposition was closed, and I STILL couldn't get to The Flash. Instead, I had to follow Racer down (which is a nice trail, don't get me wrong) onto Harmony Lane, which was the best reward for trying to get my trails done. The fresh snow was an absolute dream to ski through and I giggled the whole way back!

My final run of the day was up the Metro and down Perry Merril and Chalet Meadows - I missed last chairs on the Taxi and Bonnie by what had to be no more than 12 seconds. Oh well! Gen and I did our chores and I left soon after to drive over to Black Mountain in Jackson! Christien got us a room at Whitney's Inn, so I was eager to get over there! Gen had a short apres with Emma and Sarah, and they'd be driving to Jackson later and staying at the Swiss Chalets with Andrew and Linnea (seperately). 

My drive was dicey! There were FIVE cars stuck on 242 towards Jay, VT. I-91 was a little spicy near a high point. I had a shopping nightmare in Littleton, NH, and then got stuch behind a car going 35 in a 50 for about 20 minutes on US-302. When I finally passed them right before Crawford Notch, the road became Antarctica! I couldn't see anything for parts of the drive through the notch. I was sure glad to escape to Bartlett and eventually Jackson, BUT WAIT! NH-16 was closed at Story Land! Someone crashed into a telephone pole. We had to wiggle our way through the bowels of Story Land and the aquarium, eventually making my way into Jackson.

The room was ADORABLE! We went to the Shovel Handle Inn for dinner, which was simply adorable. The fun wasn't over, though! The live music wrapped up, we ordered another cocktail, and... the power goes out! We sat there giggling for about 30 minutes, but then we heard someone go "it's expected to be back 10:45pm" - it wasn't even 9:00pm yet. I got a little stressed, but we eventually went to the folks working there and were like "hey we want to leave is there a way we can pay? we're staying here and skiing here tomorrow so we're not going anywhere" and she said both "check in with the front desk tomorrow!" and "it's on the house!" sooo... free dinner I guess?

We spent the rest of the night in the dark, falling asleep around 11:00pm. The lights came on with a BLAST around midnight, which woke us both up. Thankfully, we quickly fell back asleep so we were ready for a big day of skiing tomorrow!

Map of Jay Peak (2025-2026, Updated)