Though the weather outlook for the entire day was “iffy,” those of us who signed up to hike today decided yesterday evening that it was a “go.”  The instructions were to meet at 8 am at Gate 37 in Petersham, then we would carpool to our starting point at Gate 43.  I left my house around 7 am, to allow myself time to get lost and then get back on track, but because I spent a lot of time with Google maps yesterday, I had no problem finding the location, obscure as it is (it’s at the end of a one-lane mostly dirt road).  Then eventually, after some car-hopping and convoy driving, twelve of us hardy souls gathered at Gate 43, and we set off, heading mostly north.

This was the second scheduled Quabbin hike (the first took us from Lookout Tower to Gate 43); we intended to hike about ten miles to where we left the cars.  For the first few miles, we walked mostly on asphalt pavement.  This may sound incongruous, but remember that the Quabbin Watershed is known as the “Accidental Wilderness.”  Not so long ago, this area was farmland; up until 1938, hundreds of people lived in the four small towns of Dana, Prescott, Enfield, and Greenwich, which were dismantled to create the Reservoir.  Today, the 24,529 acre reservoir is surrounded by 54,686 acres of watershed land.  The DCR’s “Fast Facts” about the Quabbin cover geography, soils, forest, and wildlife.  I was interested to learn that

At least 27 species listed as “special concern”  in Massachusetts occur on Quabbin, including mammals, reptiles and amphibians (such as spotted and wood turtles, Jefferson salamander), and many birds (such as American bittern and bald eagle).

The Quabbin is treasured by anglers for its freshwater fishing, and our route took us past a popular boat mooring area.  At this point Pottapaug Pond was to our right, to the east, as we walked to the west of Pottapaug Hill, which rises to 921 feet.  After about a mile or so, the trail led us down to the water, where we stopped to look at some of the Quabbin islands.  By this time, the rain had started coming down, and I decided to put on my rain jacket (I carried a full set of rain gear in my pack).  Thus somewhat protected, we turned toward to the northeast and headed for Dana.

For some reason, I had thought that all the towns were under water, but of course, that is not the case.  Another few miles of walking brought us to the old town center, where there are no buildings any more, but historical markers indicate where some of the main structures stood.  Here, at Dana Common, the group took stock, and because it continued to pour, we decided we should cut short our hike and return to the cars at Gate 40.

When the rain slackened a bit, I ate some of my snacks, then took off my shoes and wrung the water out of my socks.  As we walked northeast, again on asphalt, we heard thunder and saw the lightning, and felt that we had made the right decision.  By noon, we had reached Gate 40; the carpools were quick and efficient, and soon enough I picked up my car at Gate 37.

We’ll be back in September, to continue our walk around the East Quabbin.  I’m already looking forward to it.