Day 25: Wednesday, August 25
Bike ride, Mt. Sugarloaf
This was my first time bike climbing Mt. Sugarloaf, the knob of a mountain in Sunderland, MA. The road is about one mile to the summit. It starts out with a moderate up the side of the mountain for about two thirds of a mile before you take a hairpin turn to the right to start the steep climb to the top. Once you make that hairpin turn things get more difficult, and it’s down to the lowest gear to manage the very steep, one-third-mile climb to the summit. This climb is distinct from Mt. Holyoke and Mt. Tom – the other Valley mountains with paved roads – in that it saves the steepest climb for last. It’s not the hardest Valley paved-road climb, Mt. Holyoke is longer and has a steep beginning and end. The view at the top is well worth the effort with a sweeping panorama of the northern Valley, the town of Sunderland and the Connecticut River wending below. Then the reward: a mile-long fast coast back down the mountain road!
Adventure: Bike climb, Mt. Sugarloaf, Sunderland, MA
Distance traveled: About 32 miles RT.
Challenges: A long ride on Route 47 with very narrow shoulder; a rigorous climb up the mountain with a very steep finish.
Risks: Traffic on Route 47; running out of energy on the steep climb toward the top; losing control on the fast, winding descent.
Difficulty scale 1-10: 7.5
Highlights: It’s always a triumphant feeling to come out on the top of a mountain, having conquered the climb. Today offered a wonderful, clear view. And the ride back down the mountain road was fast, exciting, a little scary, and invigorating.