Posted By auntie on June 9, 2013

8.5 miles   < 1 mph

i should have realized the trail would be a muddy mess from the downpour of the previous night, but a plan is a plan. almost. the original plan was to hike an approximately 7-mile section of the appalachian trail in october mountain state forest in lee, massachusetts. we ended up hiking a wee bit more than that due to a detour around a rain-swollen creek. we had to backtrack to the cars and use a different trail head. and the trail itself was about 80% thick mud, and another 15% raging stream. however, that 5% that was neither was pretty nice. and hey, it was the “at!” and an overnight at a shelter. and i met some through-hikers, so overall… pretty cool.

should have guessed

here is our intrepid group. this was a beginning backpacking group that was organized and led by the amc, worcester chapter. we were well prepared for “normal” hiking conditions, but this was something else.

Yellow Clintonia (Yellow Corn-lily, Blue-bead) Clintonia borealis

this flower was all over the trail. i thought from the foliage that it must have been an orchid of some kind, but it’s actually a member of the lily family. those seed heads turn bright blue when they’re ripe, thus the common name “blue-bead.”

climbing warner hill

this was a really beautiful part of the trail—the ascent up warner hill. it was acres and acres of fern. not sure what kind… maybe hay-scented, maybe new york?

the big muddies

and yeah, by the end of the day i was quite persuaded of the virtues of gaiters. i get it. the boots never did dry out, and it was hard to put them back on over dry socks in the morning. fortunately for me, trail conditions were such that my socks soon matched the wetness of my boots. i was ever so glad i brought along my orthoheel sandals to wear for the ride home!

i have added october mountain to the  hikefinder using the day 2 mileage.

Categories: Appalachian Trail, Massachusetts, Walks and Hikes
Tags: 7–10 miles, MA, Washington MA