Saturday, April 19 -
Monday, April 21, 2008
Princeton, MA
Like our last backpacking trip, we plan to cover around 5 miles each way. Unlike the last trip, we'll be traveling on unmarked trails, so we will be using some compass skills.
Refer to the trail map of Wachusett.
Plan for Saturday:
- Meet at the church at 9 AM.
- Carpool to Redemption Rock monument parking area on Route 140 in Princeton.
- Hike the Midstate Trail south, which passes the ski area and wraps around the northwest side of the mountain, passing Balance Rock.
- Becomes the Semuhenna Trail, which we take as far as the West Side Trail to avoid the ski slopes.
- West Side Trail to Old Indian Trail to summit.
- Lunch
- Take the Mountain House Trail to the Jack Frost Trail to High Meadow Trail to Echo Lake
- East down Echo Lake Road to the parking area near the Superintendent's House.
- Follow Mountain Road south to the trail into Boyle's Brook.
Plan for Sunday:
- The plan is somewhat open depending on which scouts come on the trip.
- The default plan will be to hike a loop around the mountain that we did not hike on Saturday, which might include the Bicentennial and Pine Hill trails.
- For a higher level of adventure, we could explore the steep hill that sits between Westminster, Thompson, and Mountain Roads (see link above for map). There are no mapped trails.
Plan for Monday:
- Hike out of Boyle's Brook to Echo Lake, stay on Echo Lake Road to Administration Road.
- North on that road to the Lower Link Trail.
- Turn right onto Harrington Trail
- Turn left onto Semuhenna Trail.
- Follow Semuhenna until it again merges with the Midstate Trail at the West Side Trail.
- Continue on the Midstate Trail north to the cars.
Pack light - "Every once counts!"
See cooking tips on our Camping page. Use our Backwoods Camping List to make sure you don't forget anything.
Pack light - "Every once counts!"
Planning status:
Tour permit - Done
Private landowner permission - Done
Camp fire permit (Princeton FD) - call FD each day
