Berry nice

[Rivet]

Wanted to burn off some extra calories consumed on Turkey day, so I did a hike on the Taconic Crest Trail. Started at the parking area on Route 20 - just over the NY/MA line. It is the parking area on north side of highway, just after the road curves to the east. The trail starts at the west end of the parking area at a break in the fence. The trail is marked with blue squares with white diamonds (labeled with Taconic Crest Trail at the bottom), and also with white markers/blazes. This is a nice ridge walk with a lot of ups and downs. But, there are no long climbs - a pretty easy walk. The foot trail is in pretty good shape for the most part and is well marked. There was only a couple of spots of momentary confusion - usually where the foot trail crossed unmakred wood roads. The only thing bad about this hike is the sounds of ATVs on nearby roads/trails. Unfortunately, they can be legally ridden in Pittsfield State Forest. But, they seem to be staying off the TCT in this area - as opposed to further north where the TCT is a rutted mess. I followed the TCT north all the way to Berry Pond campground area and the overlook with a view west into NY. This was the only real view on this section of the trail (there is somewhat of a view at the top of Tower mountain). There were no hunters as there is no hunting on Sunday in MA. If I had a second car, I would have spotted it on Route 43 and done a one way hike. But, alas I had to return the way I came.
I don't know if this is a new section of the TCT as I couldn't find out much about it on the Internet. The end to end yearly hike of the TCT seems to start at Berry Pond - thus bypassing this 6 mile section.

[masshysteria]

Yes sir, Berry Pond is a gem! If you really want to see some grandeur, go up there in the spring, when the azaleas are in bloom. There are a ton of people who drive up the circuit loop to view it, so your trail approach might be a little more enjoyable. Believe it or not, there are trout in the pond too.

[masshysteria]

There were no hunters as there is no hunting on Sunday in MA.

Rivet, you picked a good time to hike it. Today is the first day of shotgun season in Mass.. A friend of mine driving over the mountain this morning said that the parking area you mentioned had at least 30 cars parked in it at 6:30 AM. Stay out of those woods!

Just last week, a man was accidentally killed by his hunting partner right in New Lebanon.

[Rivet]

Just last week, a man was accidentally killed by his hunting partner right in New Lebanon.

I just read about that in the paper (Times Union). Neither guy was wearing orange.

[masshysteria]

Were they wearing cotton?

If they weren't wearing it before, the survivor is wearing it now. Probably in orange, courtesy of the Columbia County Jail. Interesting that they didn't have orange on. Does anyone know what NYS law is regarding rifle/shotgun hunting wearing orange? I know in Mass. a certain percentage of your body has to be in orange (not sure how much).