6/11/23: Mountain Laurel Atop Cheshire Cobble, along the Appalachian Trail
View from Cheshire Cobble looking southeast over Cheshire Resevoir.
Really incredible hike Sunday morning. Hadn’t been out solo in a while. Must have been itching for it, as I took off kinda spontaneously at 8ish in the morning. Sunny, beautiful day. I actually started heading for Broad Brook in Williamstown when my characteristic indecision/having-second-thoughts struck. Maybe I should try to see if my friend Keith was going to be coming to town early. Keith—a great guy and a great hiker—has been on the Appalachian Trail since March, and he was supposed to making his big midway homecoming (he lives in Adams) in the next couple days. Maybe he would be early…? I could drive south to where the trail cuts through Cheshire. So I turned around and headed south…
Scrambling up to the cobble over roots and rock
I had been to Cheshire Cobble once before, but it had been a while ago and the day must have been just blahh. Because coming up to the cobble this time, about a mile and half up from the trailhead parking in town, was truly stunning. It may not be the absolute best vista in the region (there’s plenty of competition in that dept), but it’s damn lovely! You look west over the upper Hoosac Valley from Cheshire Resevoir up to Might Mount Greylock off to the North. You get a 180deg view perched atop bright white cliffs.
View of the Cheshire Cobble cliffs from below. Notice the AT’s famous white blaze on the tree to the right.
Great view for sure, but the extra special part was encountering there on the cobble patches of thick mountain laurel bushes that were on the cusp of blooming. The pink/purple buds were simply stunning. Will it be even better this week? Maybe maybe…
mountain laurels blooming
At one point the laurels form a natural tunnel leading back into the pine forest from the cobble. I couldn’t resist taking a video of my walk through it and back to the vista on the cobble at the end:
Well, that was the main highlight. Generally speaking, it’s a lovely section of the AT. A short, moderate climb from town to the cobble and then it’s pretty flat on the ridge for a while. I probably hiked another mile or two south, lost track of time for a bit enjoying the birds and moss and whatnot. I’m thinking a sunset hike up to the cobble will be something I put up on the “Hikes” section soon, so look out for that.
firmoss on a decaying log
Anyways, I definitely recommend a hike up there soon on a nice day to check out those laurel flowers while they last.
Until next time…
-TDG
Me with Mt. Greylock in the background.