Troop 54 returned to hike a portion of the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, for our first time since 2018. We hiked from near the Leverett Co-op to the Mosher Shelter. We had 5 Scouts, 3 leaders and one other parent participating on this trip. Two of the Scouts were first-time backpackers.
We found the best trailhead parking at the Paul C. Jones Working Forest. The only place the trail was hard to follow was where a portion of it had been moved to avoid a private driveway.
The trail was relatively level, with a total elevation gain the first day of 730 feet. We hiked a total of 5.2 miles the first day and 4.5 miles the second day. Heading off the wrong direction after lunch the first day added some distance. See our actual trail as recorded by Joshua Froimson (the end of the first day's trail was not recorded due to the GPS getting smacked onto a rock):
My Maps - map uploaded into Google My Maps
GPS Visualizer
GPX file (for downloading)
Along the way, there were some ruins, including a mill (where we ate lunch) and a homestead. The weather was clear during this trip with the temperature rising to the upper 80's both days.
Most of the Scouts slept in tents (for bug protection) inside the shelter. Two of the adults slept in hammocks, which were a good choice given that the shelter is on a hillside.
We got most of our water from Mountain Brook, which was about 0.3 miles from the shelter. This stream was flowing pretty strongly and had nice, clear water.
The Scouts did most of their cooking on a Pocket Rocket stove burning propane/isobutane. They cooked hot dogs over a camp fire.
This was our 161st consecutive month with at least one overnight camping trip.
Page updated 5/30/22
J. Froimson
