New England Trail: Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, Part 1

New England Trail: Metacomet-Monadnock Trail

Part 1

I finished hiking the Connecticut Metacomet trail in 2014 and the Mattabesett trail in 2013. Since my move to western Massachusetts, I've been casually hiking portions of the M-M trail. Over the past year, I've hiked the M-M over Mt Tom and Mt Holyoke. This summer, I decided to become more active in my M-M trail hiking.

Over the past two months, I've done section hikes to fully connect between Harris Mountain Road in Granby and Rt 20 in Agawam for a total of 26.72 miles covered per the NET website. 

June 25, 2016

Start: Rt 141/Easthampton Rd, Holyoke, MA
End: Rt 20/Westfield St, Agawam, MA
Mileage: 12.28 miles per GPS; 11.23 miles per map (sections 3,4, & 5).

This portion was a bit hilly but overall, fairly easy. The mosquitoes were enthusiastic and there was no water sources for the entire hike. There were a few decent views but overall, it was a pretty nondescript hike.

July 22, 2016
Start: Harris Mountain Rd, Granby, MA
End: Rt 116/The Notch Visitor Center, Amherst, MA
Mileage: 5.02 miles per GPS; 4.4 miles per map.

This portion had some decent ups and downs but overall, wasn't too rough. The trail maintenance definitely left something to be desired, but I'm spoiled. There were some blazes missing close to the Notch, by the power lines but I figured it out. I'd originally planned to hike further to Taylor Notch but my ride cancelled on me last minute so I stopped at the Notch and managed to wrangle a ride back to my car from a fellow outdoor enthusiast.

July 29, 2016
Out-and-back to Taylor Notch to connect previous Mt Holyoke hike
Rt 116/The Notch Visitor Center, Amherst, MA
Mileage: 6.61 miles per GPS

This portion was a bit brutal; there were endless ups and downs. It wasn't too hot (high 70s) but it was extremely humid, having just stopped raining. The air was thick and hard to breathe. I was dripping sweat in no time; my clothes looked like I'd gone swimming. I had initially estimated this hike to be no more than 1.5 miles out and 1.5 miles back. Sadly, I was very mistaken. Therefore, I neglected to bring enough water with me and ran out part way through. A friendly day hiker shared some of his water and that helped me get back to my car.