Last weekend, after taking a Saturday walk up to Poet’s Seat Tower, I decided I had to hike to a higher vantage to truly take in the view.
The next day was forecast to be sunny and 70, so my girlfriend Vanessa and I decided to hike to the stone fire tower on Mount Massamet in Shelburne. We opted for the less-strenuous Ridge Trail, which starts from the High Ledges Audubon Sanctuary, and crosses some private land before it links up with the final stretch of the road to the tower.
I’d never hiked this trail before. I’d been to the tower once for an article on the Forest Fire Service, but drove all the way to the top. I’d seen a trail map online before leaving, and it looked pretty straightforward — a mile each way, and rated “moderate.” We’d park at the High Ledges trailhead, go partway up and take a left.
We arrived, and found the overflow lot was already overflowing — a lot of other hikers were taking advantage of the weather. We headed through the gate and up the Ledges Trail, and noticed the trail we wanted wasn’t on the kiosk’s map. It was easy enough to find, though — it’s a sharp left just before a gate at the end of a field.
Not long after we started down the trail, we came across a spot that looked like it had been clear-cut in the last few years. The trail was muddy but firm, packed down by heavy equipment and zig-zagging uphill. We tried to dodge the wetter spots, and I thought of how fun it would be to tackle the slippery switchbacks in my old Jeep Wrangler. But my Jeep is in the junkyard, and the logging roads are on private property, so that’s not going to happen.
We continued to hike and finally crested the hill and were back in the forest, away from the clear-cut. After a while in the woods, a cell tower came into view. The trail skirted its fence and came out on the access road to the fire tower. Here, the climb was easier, as we were walking on well-drained gravel instead of mud.
The cabin on top of the tower soon popped up above the trees. We walked to its base, then put our things down on a picnic table and rested a while. While we took a break, a couple from out of town arrived. They climbed the tower, wondering aloud where the Bridge of Flowers was. I pointed them west. The view from the tower window looks right over the Glacial Potholes and both the Bridge of Flowers and the Iron Bridge can be seen with the naked eye.
When the couple came down, they asked for directions to High Ledges. Apparently, they’d taken a wrong turn and wound up at the tower, which, in my opinion, boasts a better view than the ledges farther north on the ridge. I pointed them back the way they came, and gave them directions from the trailhead to the ledges.
Vanessa and I headed up the tower’s steep spiral stairs, pausing to look through the windows. Below, hills rose like ripples in the landscape. In the distance, mountains became hazier the farther they were. Looking toward Shelburne Falls, we could see the water raging through the potholes, with its dam all the way down.
Looking south, we could make out Sugarloaf and beyond it, the towers of UMass Amherst. I tried to find Wachusett Mountain to the east (Vanessa and I both grew up in its shadow), but failed to recognize it from this angle. Back at the bottom, we sat again and soaked in the sun. Through the still-bare trees, we watched a trio of raptors circle the sky, playing in the updrafts. On the hike back, we were startled by some sort of medium-sized bird, possibly a partridge, casually strolling through the underbrush. Whatever species it was, it didn’t seem bothered by our presence.
Toward the end of the Ridge Trail, we reached a fork. A red sign with an arrow pointed right, while there was a small white sign on the left, simply asking people to respect the trail. We went right. We came to a clearing we hadn’t passed before, and I knew we’d made the wrong choice. I pulled out my phone and went to the satellite map and saw a logging road at the other corner of a clearing, which appeared to lead us back to the Ledges trail. We took it.
When we saw familiar sap lines up ahead, I realized we were walking parallel to the path. It was just over a stone wall — which was bordered by prickers. Luckily, we both had jeans on and made it through with just a few scratches.
On the way back, we stopped for a quick stroll through Shelburne Falls. Vanessa had never seen the Bridge of Flower or the potholes, so we visited both. The potholes were quite the sight, but the bridge was a bit sparse — par for late April — so I promised to take her back.
There’s half a spring and a whole summer ahead to enjoy.
David Rainville is a former reporter and editor for The Recorder, who now works as a machinist. He enjoys hiking, kayaking, biking, and finding new ways to explore the outdoors. You can reach him at daverain82@gmail.com.