It was March 11th and Day 19 of my ski adventure and I was beginning to feel a little pressure to push on ahead.  Sure many of the hills were open until late March or early April but I still want to put a few more on the list.  So I decided on a Mid-Massachusetts to Southern/Central Vermont swing.  First to Wachusetts.

Wachusetts is a very popular mountain with the Boston crowd – a mid-sized mountain within an hour of Boston.  Well-groomed, fast lifts and a recently expanded lodge can really accommodate the crowds.  There were even a few single black diamonds sections on the sides of some of the steeper trails.  I was there mid-week with the retired crowd – surprisingly strong numbers of the over 60 set avoiding the weekend masses and higher rates.  I enjoyed their easy pace, relaxed conversation on the lifts and even their slower paced run down the trails.

Wachusetts Mountain is also known for the 200 plus acres of old-growth forest that are adjacent to the ski area.  According to Chris Hardy of the Massachusetts Audubon, this is the only documented old-growth forest east of the Connecticut River.  Mr. Hardy, in a recent article, paints a wonderfully descriptive picture of this small stand of trees (I can almost smell that wonderful odor of decaying, moist soil) – take a listen to his narrative   “With thick and deeply furrowed bark and often twisted or asymmetrical trunks, the older trees may be either densely or sparsely distributed. An old-growth forest floor is covered with coarse, woody debris in varying stages of decomposition with an abundance of lichens, liverworts, mosses, and an underground fungal network that circulates nutrients throughout the ecosystem. Downed logs, standing snags, and windthrow mounds all are important indicators that a forested area has not been significantly impacted by human use for a long time.”  Come visit this mountain in the late Spring or Fall and gaze into this sacred patch of earth.  To the owners of Wachusetts – please protect these precious woods at all costs.