Group hike Noble View Outdoor Center. (Photo submitted)
RUSSELL – People say the only way to tolerate winter is to get outside and enjoy it. The Western Mass Hilltown Hikers offers monthly group hikes all winter long, a sure cure for the winter blues.
On Dec. 14 at 10 a.m., there will be a group hike at Appalachian Mountain Club’s Noble View Outdoor Center, 635 South Quarter Road in Russell (GPS Location: 42.13511 -72.86120).
AMC Noble View is located on 358 acres just six miles from Westfield, elevated 1,100 feet above the Connecticut Valley, and providing spectacular easterly views of Westfield and Springfield, with the Wilbraham hills far in the distance.
The group will hike the Pitcher Brook – Laurel Lane Circuit. For those who are interested in the history of the area, this hike offers an opportunity to view two old cellar holes. On the left (northwest) of Laurel Lane, before reaching Charcoal Kiln Trail, is a site known as the Pendleton-Snow Place. An atlas of Hampden County shows buildings standing at this site in 1912. There are two wells to search for, one near the house site and one on the opposite side of Laurel Lane where presumably the old barn stood.
Pitcher Brook Trail passes through pleasant woods with laurel and blueberries in season, crosses Ann’s Trail, then the Border Trail and descends to the gorge of Pitcher Brook with its swift water, deep pools and two waterfalls called Big Pitcher and Little Pitcher.
The hike is rated easy with some slopes, a 2.7 mile loop trail; so plan on a two hours hike time. Maps and bottled water will be provided. There are no facilities on the trail. Dogs are welcome. No registration is required, and the hike is free, although donations are appreciated.
Please keep our beautiful places clean and carry in and carry out.
Watch for other upcoming group hikes, and plan on making this a winter outdoors:
Jan. 18, 2020, 10 a.m. Sanderson Brook Falls, Chester
Feb. 22, 2020, 10 a.m. Littleville Dam, Huntington
For more hike information email [email protected] or call/text 413-302-0312.
The Western Mass Hilltown Hikers is a member of the Hilltown Outdoor Stewardship Alliance. Learn more at www.HilltownOSA.org.
