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Beartown
State Forest &
the Appalachian Trail, 2004
I spent September 13th to
17th in the Berkshires, or in Monterey, MA to be specific. I traveled to
the southwestern corner of my home state hoping to get away from it all
and rediscover a connection to nature I was missing here on Cape Cod. Did
I find what I was looking for? All I can say is, I discovered what I was
in search of and then some.
The home base for the course
of my stay was Beartown
State Forest in western Massachusetts. I was attracted to this
campground based on its mostly private sites, its reputation for quiet,
and its proximity to the Appalachian
Trail. As a bonus, Beartown boasts its own network of trails that can fill ones' days with opportunities to commune with nature. Making
reservations early allowed me to score a water site. The three water sites
are outstanding, although site eleven seemed the most private of the
bunch. Sorry pet owners, no domestic animals are allowed on water sites
for environmental reasons. There were actually some humans there this week
that were probably more dangerous than pets. They did keep to themselves,
aside from their hourly state-inspection-failed truck trips to the
bathrooms that were a short walk away. I guess you can't escape
these people in the woods either.
When I arrived, there was a
picnic area at the entrance to the campsites. As I stopped to read the
posted signs, I noticed there was a large hawk standing on one of the
picnic tables. The hawk looked at me and then flew up into the trees.
Right then, I knew I had come to the right place. The show nature would
put on for me was just beginning. That evening, after setting up camp,
making a fire and
eating dinner, I watched the sky over Benedict Pond fill with bats out to
dine on the bugs. At night, the calls of Great
Horned Owls could be heard and the night
sky was glorious without the effects of light pollution to spoil the view.
The stresses of the outside world evaporated quickly .
The following three days were
spent taking day hikes out from the campground. Tuesday began with a
squirrel hopping up on my breakfast table and staring at me until I spoke.
This was the beginning of numerous close encounters with nature that took
place over the next few days.
After breakfast, I took the
Appalachian Trail north about four miles out and back to camp. This trip
was notable for the many toads I had to keep an eye cast downward in the
trail for and the
large porcupine I startled rounding a bend (I'm not sure
who was more startled). The porcupine quickly shimmied up the nearest
tree, so naturally I took pictures of the poor fellow.
Wednesday I ventured south on
the Appalachian Trail. My day began with an Osprey landing in a tree as I
followed the trail around Benedict Pond to the AT. After this, I viewed
all manner of wildlife, including a Black
Bear that came romping out of
the woods behind me toward the trail. The bear came to an abrupt stop
about five feet from the trail where I had just passed (about twenty feet
behind me) and began sniffing and looking. I was completely in awe and
staring, when I decided to reach for my camera. That was enough movement
to send the bear back in the direction it had come from, stopping to look back at
me once. My heart began pounding shortly after this, and I have since
considered what I should have done differently (like not trying for the
camera, slowly backing away, or perhaps keeping the camera out for such
encounters). The bear seemed to be around 140-150 lbs. and was either
traveling at a high rate of speed or playing. It seemed like a teenager
out for a romp to me, until I rudely interrupted its enjoyment. This was
definitely the highlight of my trip and my hikes.
Thursday, I hiked some of the
ski trails in Beartown State Forest, and found myself again having to keep
an eye down at my feet so as not to step on efts (land stage of Eastern
Newts, or "Red Spotted Newt") that had chosen the same path
to travel as I had this day. I had never seen an eft before, and Thursday
saw fifteen to twenty on this one trail. If you ever wish to study the
Eastern Newt, travel to Beartown State Forest, as there are plenty.
This trip was outstanding in
every respect. I shut myself off from radio, TV and music, and found
myself very relaxed and "in tune" with nature. I found that
nature comes to me when I am looking for it. I have spent a lot of years
hiking and walking through woodlands, but here I saw many animals I had
never before witnessed in the wild:
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My campsite:
Beartown
State Forest
Another view of my campsite
View of Appalachian
Trail marker
Osprey at Benedict Pond,
Beartown State Forest
Efts
making a pilgrimage?
Spring Peeper, often
heard, but rarely seen
- For additional pictures of this and other trips see my
Photo
Album
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