Hike Type: Out-and-back
Distance: 6.4 miles total
Duration: About 3 hours
Elevation Min: 405ft
Elevation Max: 957ft
Elevation Gain: 552ft
Maps: There are really no maps for this hike, but it's very easy to follow. The trails cross Pratt Corner Rd. in Schutesbury immediately north of Adam's Brook and they go to Mt. Orient and the overlook after the summit, and they're mostly well defined and well marked. There's more details about the Robert Frost Trail here which outlines part of this hike (number seven).
Parking: There's very limited roadside parking on Pratt Corner Rd on both sides of the road where the trail crosses.
Weather: 47°F, mostly sunny with overcast
*Photography update: since my Kodak EasyshareMax died before my last hike, I was looking into new cameras, but upgrading wasn't an option due to money so I got the same camera used until I can save up enough to finally afford a DSLR.
I haven't been able to get out hiking in weeks because of marching band and the first snowfall two weeks ago and more marching band last week. I decided to go on a new solo hike to Mt. Orient. It's just past peak foliage and it was close enough to home that I felt comfortable going at it alone.
Since there were no maps I got my route off of http://www.summitpost.org/mount-orient/758825. The route I took is the third option: "A third approach is from the north. It is longer, but a more interesting route. It starts on Pratt Corner road in Shutesbury, just east of the bridge over Adams Brook. The M-M trail (white blazes) and the Robert Frost trail (orange) are together for the whole way. They ascend from a small parking area on the south side of the road through a beautiful oak and pine forest, then cross a cascading stream in a lush riparian forest at about 3/4 mile. Soon after the stream, the trail splits. Here, follow the M-M and Robert Frost trails left as they climb up to the ridge, not the yellow-blazed path that stays straight. The trail meanders, sometimes on the ridge and sometimes beneath it. For about a mile it gradually ascends to Mount Orient's highpoint, then for another half mile or so, it gradually descends, and eventually comes to the large opening at the top of the summit ledges."
The Robert Frost and M+M trails are joined for the whole hike, and together cross Pratt Corner Rd (which is a dirt road) where this hike started. It immediately starts climbing but it's gradual enough that it wasn't too tiring at all. After about a mile the hike crosses into Cowles Tree Farm, which welcomes hiking and other outdoor recreation.
The orange-blazed Robert Frost Trail and the white-blazed Metacomet-Monadnock trail markers are right off the road at the beginning of the hike.
The trails were very well blazed, even with the leaf covering. Throughout most of the hike there were the three markets, white, orange, and yellow diamond. I have no idea were the yellow diamond trail goes.
Some more trail photos. The smell of the pines was amazing,
After about a mile the Cowls Tree Farm welcomes hikers! From here the trail dips a little bit before more up.
From here the trail dips down getting more narrow and fuzzy due to the leaves, but the markers make it very easy to follow. There's a short boardwalk section and some intersections with unmarked trails, and then after crossing a small stream the Robert Frost/Metacomet/Monadnock Trail splits left from the yellow trail. The RFT/M+M goes to Mt. Orient while the yellow trail goes... somewhere else. I have no idea and cannot find any information on that yellow trail. The trail begins to climb offering some seasonal views.
Some more trail photos.
The short boardwalk section. The ground was very dry when I was here.
Another sign from the Tree Farm asking the public to respect the land.
Here's where the trail divided. The mysterious yellow trail to the right, and my route, and RFT/M+M to the left.
The first peak at views!
This was a very cool section of the trail. Very tall, skinny pines. This is right before the trail peaks out and starts to descend to the viewpoint.
Within the piney section are some partial view points, but after the trail climbs a very small bit it begins to open up, and after a bit of descent we get to the vista and its gorgeous!
Some partial views.
The trail started dipping back down just before...
The Mt. Orient vista!
Views of UMass, the Holyoke Range, and the Pioneer Valley.
The view from where I took a seat.
Looking back at the trail.
From here it's a direct retrace of the hike. Make sure to be watching the trail markers though. After the yellow trail joins back up I wasn't paying attention and ended up hiking a quarter mile down an unmarked logging road before realizing I messed up. From there it was a smooth hiking back to my car on Pratt Corner Road!
This was the logging road I accidentally hiked onto. I thought it was super cool how half of it was yellow and half green, and I still liked on my way back to the main trail!
A couple photos back at the boardwalks.
The narrow, piney section of the trail.
Back to the trail head where the RFT continues for 21.5 more miles northward.
The RFT continues north on the other side of the road.
Very limited parking, but this is also a very unpopular trail. I saw three people in the six miles mid-day on a Saturday in New England's autumn.
This was a great, relaxing hike to do solo to unwind from the past few weeks. The humans to dog ratio was 1:1 and I got a lot of time to spend with myself and take some nice photos.
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