Friday, November 22, 2019

Return to the Southern Berkshires/CT


Late into the season, we go back to a site first seen a few weeks ago: Tipping Rock in the Southern Berkshires! Gary L. from Great Barrington wanted to see this old relic photographed by F.W. DeMars of Winsted during the early years of the 1900s. Arriving at the venerable old rock, Gary did a clean up of the usual forest debris one might find on and around the rock We then set about creating our own versions of the 'Then' and 'Now' photographs. From there it was on down to the Colebrook River Lake, which was running pretty low. The well know bridge (visible at the lowest water levels) left over from Colebrook's early days, has been removed.


Hanging Mountain - from a distance

Down into Winsted CT, we cruised an area that likely will be used as a future access to Robbers Cave. Then it was slightly to the west, checking about for anything that might fit the name of Perch Rock along Highland Lake. Several sites were checked out including a couple Dog/Snoopy Dog rocks. An antique shop and lunch rounded out our time in Winsted. Then it was up into the northwest corner of the Nutmeg State for a quick excursion through an old lime quarry and its prolific deposits of crushed limestone. Two more antique shops in town finished out our time in Connecticut and we returned to the Southern Berkshires along old Route 7, passing Mount Petra marking the gateway to downtown Great Barrington.


'Snowy' looking scene in the old lime quarry

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Tekoa!


Finishing out RMM's last full day in the Berkshires, we took Jacob's Ladder Highway out of the Berkshires! Time had come to introduce Mike to the rugged cliffs of Mt Tekoa, overlooking the Westfield River and the Massachusetts Turnpike.

I had not been back here in many years and was not entirely sure we could find my old haunts. But with a little poking around the lower limits of talus was found, along with several small cave formations. Greatly perplexing was the apparently loss of a massive lean-to slab that formed a nice cave right along the base at one of the cliffs. I can only imagine Mother Nature reclaimed it in some large scale movement of the rocks. Of interest is a persistent legend of a Counterfeiter's Cave existing somewhere in the Mountain! No one that I know of has ever confirmed this.


Mike exits a lower entrance of a talus cave

With rain moving in, we made our down the mountain and back to Lee along the same route we took earlier. Passing through the heavily mined town of Chester, the picturesque Huntington, along with Becket. All towns greatly explored over past years. In Lee it was time to say goodbye with Mike planning a solo adventure the next day on his return to Rhode Island. But that is a story for another time!

Monday, November 4, 2019

Housatonic to Stockbridge


The omnipotent Rhody Mountain Man (occasionally know as Mike) made his way back to the Berkshires for his annual week's stay. I was fortunate to join him on two days during that week. On this particular day, our objective was the Village of Housatonic (within Great Barrington) and Stockbridge.


Mike exits the 'back door' of the cave above Housatonic

Housatonic is bordered to the east by Flag Rock, a slightly lower summit of the better know Squaw Peak summit of Monument Mountain which is slightly less than a mile to the southeast. Several hundred feet above the Village is a cave, difficult to access and very well hidden. Just over 50 feet in length and roomy enough to stand in, it shows the typical signs of being visited in the past, perhaps by the people from the local area. Mike and I obtained our photos, got our measurements, before proceeding down the mountainside to our next destination.


The Sedgwick Rock, summer 2017

This next stop was none other than Ice (sometimes: Icy) Glen in Stockbridge. It had been many years since either of us made the full trip through. It was preceded by incorporating a jaunt along the trail system to Shark Fin Rock and the Sedgwick Rock. A primary destination that we sought out within the Glen, was the location of Robbers Cave. It was here that legend tells us, a would be bank robber took refuge during the day, while working his plot to drill into the local Stockbridge bank at night. The 'cave' is not much of a cave (there are better in Ice Glen) but a rocky site comprised of large boulders. Many such sites like this exist in the Glen.