We’re now a little over 6 weeks from our run from Greylock to Wachusett and our old friend Hurricane Irene has intervened to force us into a route change. Back in 2011 the Pumping Station Covered Bridge over the Green River in Greenfield was knocked off its abutments by the flood waters that Irene resulted in.
The raging flood that broke the bridge
The town soon moved the bridge to the westerly shore and replacing it has been up in the air since then. Back in March several local papers reported that it might be replaced by the end of this summer but a short call to the DPW in Greenfield made it clear that it wasn’t yet in place and wouldn’t be by the time our run came around.
So, a course change. Instead of staying north and running through Charlemont on the Mohawk Path (rt 2) we’ll head south over the top of Savoy Mountain (an added benefit, I guess?) and on to Ashfield and Greenfield via the Savoy Mountain and Kenneth M Dubuque State Forests. Despite going over the top of Savoy Mountain this route actually avoids one of the biggest climbs in the original course — the climb out of Charlemont. On the other hand, it rolls a little more meaning we have an extra 1400′ or so of total elevation gain.
In addition, the 50/50 becomes either a 42/58 or a 55/45 depending on whether the overnight stop is in Greenfield or Northfield. If you’re joining us Greenfield offers better options for accommodation with the Day’s Inn right on course as well as a couple of other options. Staying there does leave you with a pretty long run to finish things out on Sunday though.
After the entry into Northfield the course is the same with the exception of the end of the run which now heads straight up the side of Wachusett from the visitor’s center and on to the Fire Tower for 99.91 total miles.
If you’re curious, here’s a GPX file that you can load into Google Earth to explore the route.
And here’s a link to the new course in GMAP Pedometer.