Ascent of Berlin Mountain on 2017-10-08| Others in Party: | Solo Hike
| | Date: | Sunday, October 8, 2017 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Motorized Transport to Trailhead: | Car | | Peak: | Berlin Mountain | | Location: | USA-New York | | Elevation: | 2818 ft / 858 m |
Ascent Trip ReportMy wife and I were enjoying a New England fall foliage trip, which included a visit to the annual open house hosted by author Jon Katz at his farm in Salem NY. Unfortunately, fall foliage peaked much later than usual in 2017 up and down the U.S. eastern seaboard. We did see some nice color near Salem NY, but very little color through-out the rest of southern New England during the second week of October. We spent two enjoyable nights at the Bunker Hill Inn B&B in nearby Salem NY. The inn is located on a farm outside of town and is hosted by a friendly and active lady who grew up in Salem. I highly recommend the inn for a relaxing stay.
On Sunday afternoon October 8, 2017, I drove from Salem to Petersburg NY and then followed SR 2 up to Petersburg Pass on the NY/Mass border. At the pass, there is a large parking area on the south side of the highway. The Taconic Crest TH (with registration book) is at the southwest corner of the parking area. The weather was overcast at 3:10 pm when I began the hike; temperature was about 70 degrees with a very slight breeze. The route to Berlin Mt mostly follows old single track dirt roads plus a few sections of maintained trail; one long section of the latter located not far from the TH is extremely steep, so much so that I am surprised it has not been re-routed for easier maintenance. Except for a few open spaces, the entire route is otherwise under forest canopy. I found the trail quiet and peaceful, but not particularly scenic.
The summit of Berlin Mt is a grassy meadow with scattered boulders. It was a bit breezier on top that day, with very nice views of the western Massachusetts mountains to the east, some with wind turbines. I spoke briefly with a pair of hikers relaxing on the summit and soaked in the vast scenery for several minutes before heading back. On the hike up I only passed one hiker, and then passed two hikers on the trip back, reaching the TH at 6:05 pm with temps well down in the low 60s. Nearly all of the trip was enjoyed in wilderness silence. |
| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 1328 ft / 404 m | | Extra Gain: | 300 ft / 91 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 5.4 mi / 8.7 km | | Route: | Taconic Crest Trail | | Trailhead: | Petersburg Pass TH 2090 ft / 637 m | | Quality: | 4 (on a subjective 1-10 scale) | | Route Conditions: | Road Hike, Maintained Trail | | Gear Used: | Ski Poles | | Weather: | Cool, Calm, Overcast | | Ascent Statistics | | Time: | 1 Hours 25 Minutes | | Descent Statistics | | Time: | 1 Hours 18 Minutes |
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