Sidelined at Steepletop

Steepletop in New Marlborough was the destination. Once again joining the Hikers on what was to be an easy going hike due to the possible limitations of one member. Much to my own horror - it displayed my very own limitations! A fall, a dislocated shoulder, then a ride to the emergency room put me out of action for the foreseeable future.

Serpentine and Soapstone

Returning to the parking area for the Keystone Arch Bridges (KAB) in Chester. a small group of the Western Mass Hilltown Hikers met. A couple of us descended to the river to take a look at the double arched bridge before we began our journey up Babcock Brook. This is an area where one can spot serpentine in the streams with great regularity. It was not a long climb along the brook in terms of distance, but conditions still made it challenging. Sure there were rocks of serpentine, but also pot holes and old washing machines carelessly discarded.

Quarried areas of serpentine

Finally, we reached our destination which was the sought after serpentine quarry site. Little evidence remained other than a few rock cuts. Extracting ourselves from the deep stream gorge, we found the main road to walk back to our cars.

Entrance to the soapstone quarry

Moving on over to the next town, it was a visit to a major abandoned soapstone operation. For some reason I always end up here during the hottest - and buggiest - part of the summer. The larger section of the quarry was thankfully dry allowing for a full examination. Following the excavations northward, we found a secondary operation that did contain significant water. Upon returning to the road we ended the hike for this day.