Write-up: Paul Sirtoli

Leader: Paul Sirtoli

Co-Leader: Peter Franz

I could elaborate on the nuances of our excursion, the exhilaration of scrambling up rock slabs, or just the wonderful scenery from the exposed rocky summit.  Rather, I will let the photographs by Jeremy Alexander depict all of the above.

Suffice it to say that the river crossing was quite refreshing on this humid day. The current was swift, while the still water almost thigh high. Although billed as a bushwhack, this rock climbers haven is accessed by a well-defined herd path directly from the river bank.  It courses along the base of massive rock walls, adorned with climber hardware. At one point the herd path splits; the side trail takes the hiker to the rocky escarpment.

This we followed to the summit, enjoying multiple views of near and distant mountains – Corner Mt., Harrington Mt., Blue Hills.  While admiring the scenery, the cool breeze dissipated the oppressive humidity. This portion of the two-mile trip took three hours, so to justify the ride to the trailhead, we also hiked the trail to Cod Pond, adding another 2.5 miles round trip. The dire prediction by weather forecasters of thunderstorms and heavy rain did not materialize until after 3 PM which by that time we were driving home. Sadly, several tramps dropped out based on the predicted terrible weather.