Upper Goose Pond(Appalachian Trail-Berkshires)

Back from vacation, I was looking to do a welcome home hike, but a wet forecast somewhat limited my options.  A glance at the radar showed me that heading east was my best option, so I initially headed up into October Mountain State Forest to attempt a bushwhack hike. Unfortunately some of the roads I hit were a bit too much for my car to attempt so I played it safe and headed down to Route 20 near the Becket/ Lee town line to hike a section of the Appalachian Trail to Upper Goose Pond.  It has been several years since my last visit here so I was looking forward to revisiting, although the overcast, muggy conditions were less than ideal.

Parked in the large lot on the south side of Route 20 and headed out(elevation 1355 feet), following Route 20 east for just under 2/10 of a mile before the AT dips into the woods.  From there, I headed a short distance south to a crossing of Greenwater Brook.

Just past the brook crossing, the trail emerges in a large clearing along the west end of Greenwater Pond, which is mostly privately owned.

The trail then crosses over both lanes of the Mass Pike, where the rushing traffic makes it feel like anything other than a nature hike.

 Just a few minutes back in the woods however, and the sights and sounds of the interstate quickly vanish.  The AT climbs up over a shoulder of Higley Brook Hill, before swinging west then dropping south towards the pond.

This mushroom caught my eye along the way.

At a trail junction, I followed the AT east along the north shore of the pond for a distance, taking in the views of nearby paddlers out on the water.

My turnaround point was the old stone fireplace located near a viewpoint. 

Headed back to the trail junction, then followed the trail to the cabin and camping areas along the west shore of Upper Goose Pond.  Unfortunately, due to Covid, the cabin is closed, but there is a caretaker there to assist hikers and even cook them breakfast.

Chatted with the caretaker for a bit, before turning back and retracing my steps to the car.  A sticky and buggy 4 miles RT, but thankfully the rain stayed away.