With another season quickly on the wane, I was contemplating what to do. A couple odds and ends presented themselves and I took to the road. Heading into the Connecticut River Valley my first destination was Laurel Park former Methodist camp/retreat, now a community of some rather 'unusual' homes. Recently I had obtained a second - different - view of the "Boulder Knoll" within that community. Expanding on what I did here last year I located - and photographed - both present day views of said Boulder Knoll.

Rolling north up the valley and heading a bit east towards the Connecticut River, I ascended into ledges bordering the Mohawk Trail highway. This was to examine the cave formation mentioned to me last year and finally seen a month earlier on my return from Cape Ann. 'Formation' is a good term as it is a niche formed by weathering and subsequent loss of material from the ledge. A similar but larger one has been examined in the past a little over a mile away near an old dinosaur track quarry.

Then the big goal of the day: a return to Erving Castle or the Hermit's Cave. This location is a well known local tale of hermit John Smith taking residence in a shelter cave at the base of high ledges on Hermit Mountain. Hard to believe but it's been ten years since my last visit. My own access is to climb directly from the highway in a rather steep and rugged ascent. Although it's over a hundred years since John inhabited the area, one can still find his 'cave', the Pulpit Rock, the 'gazebo', and a spring. Also present are old walls and a foundation. John, along with his cat Toby, are buried in a nearby cemetery alongside the highway.

The time of year once again arrived for the jaunt down on into Connecticut for a couple days. The first day was a visitation to the lands of the White Memorial Foundation on the Litchfield-Morris town line. Four thousand acres and something like 35 miles of trails provide much to explore. This day included an observation platform overlooking the bay of a much larger lake. Another section was a remote area of sylvan wilderness with marshes, ponds, a beaver lodge, and a circuit trail through a multitude of glacial boulders with a ledge ascent. The second day was casual walking through the State's capital to see historic monuments, buildings and parks. Very present was the famous "brownstone" quarried just a stone's thrown away, down - and across - the Connecticut River at Portland.

Since my end of August trip to Balance Rock (Hampshire County) where I met the woman telling me of a cave in the Mohawk Trail vicinity, I've been gathering information on just such a site. Taking to the highway, I accessed a resurrected part of the older Mohawk Indian footpath that the automobile highway has taken its name from. Deep within the woods, in a stand of tall white pines, the cave was to be found! What it really consists of is a huge chuck of rock that has broken off a ledge, positioning itself as a type of 'lean-to' against the parent ledge. Farther east - and north - in the town of Rowe lies the normally sleepy little stream known as Pelham Brook. One of the mysteries I've worked on is the Stone Face/Profile Rock in that vicinity. Never having definitive success, I decided to give it another try before winter. But a deluge of rain the previous night had Pelham Brook turned into a raging river. Still - I picked my way up the steam's edge photographing a few boulders along the way. One previously overlooked rock looks to be a good possibility and the images will be studied over the coming winter to see if a return trip is necessary. This area was photographed - and the subject of a number of postcards (including Profile Rock) - by Charles Canedy. Canedy was better known for being one of the early entrepreneurs behind the Mohawk Trail roadway. Another Canedy postcard in the Pelham Brook area shows a perched boulder along the road leading into Rowe. Although I've been told that rock was destroyed, one can still see high on the hillside, at least a couple more boulders sitting precariously above the road. Finally, taking the long - and very scenic route home (pass the home of Charlemont's local celebrity: Ernest Seguin) - I entered the most southwestern portions of Franklin County. Just in time for Halloween - a visit to Witch's Cave.

This time of year is traditionally devoted to visiting the Middlesex and Essex County areas.

Day One: Heading on into the Middlesex Fells, I looked into an old lead from an even older edition of an AMC hiking guide. They mention "small caves" near a trail. My first discovery in the area was a splendid Indian profile amongst the rocks. Then I came across what is likely the "caves" but rock - or even "cave-like" - formations might be a better way to describe them. Farther along the trail, now in somewhat of a valley, a ledge contained another one of these small formations. Certainly much better examples of caves do exist within the Fells. Back on the road and heading past the Great Stone Face formation, I arrived at a rocky summit and park where another cave was reported. Again, a "cave-like" formation is all there was to be found near the top of a vertical ledge. Moving up the road, at the urban Pine Banks Park, I looked into the origin of an old postcard called "A Rocky Nook". I first thought it might be in the main picnic area but soon discovered it lay in a slightly more remote area around the back of the pond. Going out of Town, I passed the Old Indian Cave and a major road intersection where history recorded a large perched erratic once existed - or maybe still exists. Then on to the Bow Ridge area of Lynnfield where old quarries awaited me. One has some elaborate painting on the quarry wall depicting large clusters of skulls, hence the name Skull Rock. I had expected to hike on in to the Great Frog Boulder to give it a measure but took a wrong turn, a little past the Pirate Boulder, ending up almost back at my starting point. So another time. Just to the north, a quickie trip was made in to Ship Rock to get a circumference measurement. While in the area I gave it a go to find Wigwam Rock in light of some new information and picture I came across. Despite running across a number of 'worthy' erratics none seemed to fit the description and picture completely. Finally to complete the day, I took in Witch Rock.

Day Two: I revisited the Chief Wingaersheek profile in an old quarry quite near to my campground. Moving up the western side of Cape Ann, I investigated a new view on a postcard of an old site at Great Rock. Coming up - and around - Halibut, I made my way down the east coast to the granite pier where I took in the seashore with binoculars, looking in vain for the Profile Rock at Devil's Den and the Oldest Inhabitant profile rock formation. Just down the road, I entered Dogtown to tour the Whale's Jaw, measure Peter's Pulpit, and take in the Briar Swamp area including glacial boulder caving at Raccoon Ledges. The rest of he afternoon was a leisurely ride down the coast, stopping at Good Harbor Beach where massive waves pummeled Bass Rocks, likely site of the Old Man's Cave (rock formation). Finishing up the day was Stage Fort Park with Tablet Rock and the very picturesque Half Moon Beach.

Day Three: Rolling into the more northwesterly portions of Essex County I began a day that would see me visiting some extraordinary public lands. The first stop was at Den Rock Park (one old reference calls this the Devil's Den) home to a magnificent outcrop of rock. Very small caves have been formed in the fracturing and falling on parts of the ledge. There are several old postcards on this site including a nearby bridge called the Witch - or Den Rock - Bridge over the Shawsheen River. Farther north near the New Hampshire boundary, I had the report of a glacial boulder being an ancient land boundary. Not that this is unusual, even Wigwam Rock was a marker, but this historical report came complete with a street address! Successfully found, I wandered west once again entering Middlesex County. Here I had the report of another rock used by famed preacher George Whitefield, possibly near a local cemetery. I guessed which cemetery it may have been, only to find upon visiting, it was a very modern cemetery. Too modern to have been there in Whitefield's days. So on to the library where I culled through old historical records to come up with the probable site. Just as interesting was the mention of a rock in town, inscribed by the Native Americans with a map! This time I got the correct cemetery, found the likely Whitefield rock, and even found an elderly resident who told me the location of the 'map rock'. BUT the owner of that rock was not home, so I shelved it for another visit. Dropping down south to the land where granite was once quarried, I visited conservation land with old lime quarries. Then on to the local pulpit rock which I was told is at a pile of rocks. It was more like a rock wall extending a bit out from a slope in an adjacent home's yard. Hard to believe this existed over a century and a half ago, but very near to the 'wall' was a rock that would have served as a more practical pulpit. Nearby, the 'Fox Hunt rocks" was on more local conservation land. Just as I was finishing up my final photos, the predicted rain began to fall ending the day for me. One note of interest on the trip home: I had been told of a cave along the Mohawk Trail by the son of a cave owner last year. Since then I've looked for it several times unsuccessfully, but then the foliage and road conditions made that difficult. Finally on this trip home - a small cave entrance was spotted among the ledges to await future investigation.

Prejudicially speaking, there's no finer time than Fall to be out in Western Massachusetts! A few old images had been accumulating and it was time to set out across the Connecticut River in search of their location . The first stop was an old haunt at the Rattlesnake Gutter, a geologic marvel in Leverett. I brought along an old postcard showing two ladies sitting amongst some ledges but a given location nearby to the Gutter. I slowly examined the ledges from roadside before entering the Gutter proper to visit a good sized talus cave. Further investigation down in the Gutter and along it's outer edges did not reveal the exact location in the old photo postcard. However, I still believe it to be in the immediate area as there are other ledges on private land. I traveled around town afterwards to search out the site - or possible sites - of a couple waterfalls recorded in past history. One old coke oven was also nearby. Then on to the most southern perimeters of New Hampshire to investigate the Pulpit Rock. I suspected two images to be from a site visited in the past which I erroneously named "Hidden Glen" unaware of its past history. Bushwhacking in to Pulpit Falls, I then moved upstream to the beautiful secluded glen where I did match up a postcard of Pulpit Rock but not quite an old image of two Victorian Age ladies sitting in a spot nearby. A couple caves are also located in the immediate vicinity. I had wished to head on over the State border to revisit Pivot Rock (also know as the Balance and Tipping Rock) but considering my location, the geography, and where my car was, I favored a retreat back to the north and the highway where I was parked. Home came by way (partially) of the Mohawk Trail where the Fall foliage begins its approach towards peak perfection.

On one glorious fall day, I was guided by an expert in southern Berkshire County history to a little known cave site. Last year brought the same company together to explore the northern reaches of Monument Mountain but today's goal was to go into its western territory. Some poking around amongst the quarzite boulders and ledges revealed a high slot-like entrance descending into the nether regions. We were rewarded to a spacious room with vaulted ceilings. Obvious signs of past inhabitants were present. And if we chose not to exit by the same route, another entrance lay near the cavern's end, up and over a rock pile, then out into the daylight.

Time once again for the annual South Shore - and points thereabouts - adventure.

Day One: Coming on in from a westward approach, the early morning first stop was at the Borderland State Park. Here lies an assortment of glacial erratics in the Ames Boulder, Balance Rock, and Split Rock. The mighty Ames is a worthy seventy four and a half feet in circumference but is split pretty much through it's mid section. Balance Rock is a modest thirty seven feet around, but a fine specimen as it sits perched on the edge (and hanging over) a small ledge. The gargantuan Split Rock is a tremendous mass of rock that would rank amongst the very largest in Massachusetts if not for being split into several sections. Afterwards, a small stone chamber in the park was visited. I skipped on through a Bristol County town, hoping to research at the local library but alas it was a late day opening so I moved on further east into Plymouth County. An old friend near Sachem's Rock was not home so I continued the trek east to a Plymouth area town on the ocean shore. Two productive hours were spent culling through old manuscripts and papers from long ago past residents for definitive information on area sites Pulpit Rock and two Devil's (footprint) Rocks. Although I was somewhat successful, the search for these old gems has been narrowed down from a "needle" in a hayfield to the proverbial "needle" in a haystack. I did give it a go on the Devil's Rocks but this project will have to await a future day. Time though to move up the coastline and set up camp.

Day Two: Once again at early morning light I made my first trek on into Whitney Woods where a bountiful array of glacial boulders can always be found. I wandered old roads past Rooster Rock and eventually ended up at a magnificent rock that had split and leaned upon itself to provided a nice rock shelter. Then on to the Bigelow Boulder named for late nineteenth century local historian Victor Bigelow. I tried to find access to a more definitive location I came up with for Rattlesnake Den but no luck getting in. The location of Widow's Rock was given another go but left still unfound. I'm not quite ready to call it day on this one as the old accounts of its location are somewhat ambiguous. Then another unsuccessful attempt to find access to where Cleft Rock should be located. This is an all too familiar scenario where land, or growth - housing and/or vegetation - makes getting in to old sites quite impossible. I returned for a second look at what should be Aunt Betsy's Rock but with no landowner around to verify my hypothesis, I had to settle for a few pictures from the road. I relaxed in the local library for a couple hours before resuming by southward trek. Here I once again found indefinite access to old sites Wild Cat and Rattlesnake Hills. Supposedly a Rattlesnake Rock should exist on its namesake hill. Then on to Till Rock where a modest sized boulder lays perched upon a small hilltop. With low tide on its way, I turned northward and towards the coast to revisited the likely Nubian Head Rock. A positive ID may be nearly impossible as the old postcard shows a very dark and indistinct image. But I arrived at tide's lowest point and the face is there upon the rock. A nearby historic lighthouse provided the parking as I sought out identification from an old image of shoreline rocks Pebble, Junior Pebble, and Castle Rock. A bit more successful here and I turned back towards camp, stopping off to locate Indian Rock.

Day Three: The final day was divided between one Norfolk and one Plymouth County town. In the first town I once again visited House Rock to identify a number of other rocky sites mention to me in communication with a former resident. Here are local attractions Eagle Rock, Indian Rock, Turtle Rock, and another Split Rock. A bit to the southeast I spent three good hours in the library's local history vault primarily looking for clues to a Wolf Rock but coming away with another gem in Absalom's Rock. Old maps and historical manuscripts gave me a rough idea where to find Wolf Rock but a small amount of time in the dense woods and vegetation proved unsuccessfully. Greater success was to be found at Absalom's Rock with just over a hundred feet in circumference making it the largest in Plymouth County (so far) and worthy of inclusion into the list of State's biggest boulders. Rain was moving in, so back onto the Boston Beltway and westward home.