What Ever Happened to Mid-State?

This is right at the middle of the longest day. After Wachusett and before Crow Hills we were able to step in to the lodge for the Wachusett ski resort. I don't remember why I was grumpy here. Spirits were still good!

Well I'll tell yah...  We finished!  Regular readers will know that I have a category on this weblog where I planned to reflect on each leg of that journey.  You can refer to it for sections #1 and #2.  I stopped posting for a variety of reasons.  However, the biggest is that this journey south-to-north the length of Worcester County---and therefore the width of Massachusetts--just didn't have enough variation for that level of granularity.

That said, I highly recommend it. A "section" hike of this sort is worthwhile, particularly if you want to get a sense of the local landscape.  Rev. Sarah Stewart, my hiking partner for this endeavor lives on Worcester, itself.  I thought I might end up there as well.  After all, the journey through time that we took encompassed my search process.

It may be worth noting that my first post for this trail was July 28, 2024.  What a year it has been...

The wintry top of Wachusett

In fact, as I went looking for pictures for this post, I found others; the final pictures of my time in Natick and at Eliot Church, the first pictures of 2nd Church, many, many photos of many, many houses that we visited but did not move to.  This walk took us a while. We paused for injury and weather.  Our longest gap was probably waiting for me to recover from a fall on the ice the same day I preached my candidating sermon.  However, in the end...we did it.  Sarah ordered the official patches.  I still owe her $5.

Here is a tip...the trail has a number of huts and lean-to's that make great lunch spots!

The patch for Mid-State along with the list of the NH48 hangs in our sitting room, just in case someone wants to talk about hiking.

I do have one suggestion for anyone who wants to do this particular hike.  Do not hesitate to break it up!  We did reasonably well with that but then common sense abandoned us. We decided to hike over Mount Wachusett and the Crow Hill Ledges in one day...in the snow.  We managed, but we were very tired by the end.  In fact it was worse than that! One of us fell through the ice as well.  Cold and exhausted, we finished that section with very few pictures but one epic story...so maybe it was OK in retrospect... 

Anyway, No one will know or care if you do it straight through or in a certain amount of time.  This is not that kind of trail.  It is for enjoying and reflecting.  It is--as I said earlier--about getting a sense of place and sometimes of history.

The trail, itself--with adequate pacing--is not that difficult.  Most of the elevation is in that section with Wachusett and the Ledges.  If it wasn't winter we would have been fine there as well.  With that said, every hike is a challenge.  You are in the woods.  The trail is well-maintained in some spots and not in others.  Take your time.  Also, this is not a dog-friendly trail!  This may be important to some of you.  Much of the trail runs through various off-limits sections.  Any Audubon property is a no-dog zone.  There are good reasons for this so it is worth respecting the rules.  I took my dog out with us once or twice when it was clear we wouldn't be entering those areas...but it was tricky and required some work.

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The very end. Similar to the beginning it is just tucked away in the woods along the border.

The dog and a tunnel under a major highway on one of the few sections that was almost entirely private land.

Obviously I am posting this to bring closure to the project.  Even though there was a sameness to the landscape, it was beautiful.  There is no shame in just spending time in the woods, right?  I do have a few posts that--while they were not directly about the Mid-State--cover the trail and its environs.  So here at the end, I thought I would share some links...

First, there are two posts for the very beginning of the Mid-State.  They are cleverly called Mid-State Section 1 and Mid-State Section 2.  These both have some greater detail and advice.  They also give a good sense of the road sections, which are greater in the southern part of the trail and then peter out once one gets north of Worcester, itself.

Then there are a few other posts that cover parts of the trail, particularly that northern part.  They are also listed in "Section 1" but may be worth posting again with some commentary.

Mount Wachusett: Out of these three bonus posts, going south to north, this would be the first of the areas you would encounter.  We began in the same lot as the hike in the video, which I did as an out-and-back on a very hot day. The video documents that hike. The actual essay is about a shorter walk.  I love Wachusett and am pretty sure I have done all the trails by now.  It is one of only two legit mountains in the eastern part of the state.  The other is Watatic, where the Mid State symbolically ends...

Crow Hills Ledges:  We really should have stopped here after Wachusett and saved the Ledges for another day.  We were really too tired, wet, and cold to enjoy the view!  That said, I recommend this as a loop.  Also, the video has some more pictures of what we saw on our epic slog.

Finally, my favorite mountain, Mount Watatic.  As with the other two posts, the video and the essay are of separate hikes.  That said, there is only one way up Watatic.  It is easily the best bang for your buck with beautiful views and less effort than one might think...but it is still a mountain!

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A picture from the last day with our destination in the distance!