Hiking in November
I went for another hike in the Middlesex Fells Reservation today. This was my second hike from the Lost Pond parking area. My route went from the parking area to Molly’s Spring Road to the Skyline Trail to the Reservoir Trail and back to Molly’s Spring Road. The loop was roughly 1.8 miles. The trail conditions were very good, although the foliage on the ground made for some slippery footing at times. The Skyline Trail is a rougher route than my previous jaunt to Lost Pond; there are frequent ups and downs over hill and dale. Lots of rocks and roots, but great fun.
The weather was good with gray scudding clouds and cool temps. The only nod to the cool air was wearing my gray hoodie sweatshirt, which I took off and tied around my waist for the last half mile of the hike. While I had unzipped it early in the hike, my arms were getting sweaty.
My pace was excellent. I completed the 1.8 mile trek in only half an hour with little wear and tear afterward. I didn’t get the usual lung moisture issues I get when exerting myself in cool/cold weather. That was a definite plus.
The only thing that marred the experience was the fact that I had to pee. I spent a large portion of my trek along the Skyline Trail looking for a possible pee spot, but as the trails in that area are pretty close together, going out of sight from one trail might put me in full view of another. So I kept trekking along and put up with the discomfort.
It was worthwhile just getting out. With the Whites getting snow-covered, I’m going to try to use the Fells to stay in shape, improve my stamina and get a head start on next season’s hiking.
