Photos & Stories

Andy Kretschmar

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Date completed: 12/31/2022

Miles:

All 100 points reached through hiking NE trail, mostly sections MA 2-7, with some excursions into CT.

Base: South Hadley, MA

Advice for NET hikers:

Start off as small or as big as you like. There’s something for everybody, and I love it when people are surprised to learn that their favorite hiking spots are actually part of the trail.

Describe the NET: 

The New England Trail is the definition of a hidden gem. It deserves our care, attention, and investment, and I am continuously hopeful and optimistic about its future.

Trail Story:

I moved back to Western MA a year ago–I grew up in Agawam, and spent the last ten years living in South Carolina–and the New England Trail has been a vital part of my life over the last year. I’d be lying if I said that my family’s choice to settle down in South Hadley was not motivated in large part by its proximity to the Mt. Tom and Mt. Holyoke ranges. I take every chance I get to revisit familiar paths, and discover new ones from time to time. The white and blue blazes have become old friends at this point. It’s good to be home!

Nathaniel Johnson

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hike100 participant

Date completed: 12/30/2022

Miles: 

Here’s my 2022 trail log:

1/15 – Section 5 – 7.3 miles

1/22 – Section 6 – 4.6 miles

2/12 – Section 7 – 2.6 miles

3/19 – Section 6-7 – 7.7 miles

4/3 – Section 8 – 5.0 miles

4/10 – Section 9 – 5.2 miles

4/16 – Section 9 – 9.5 miles

4/23 Section 4 – 10.6 miles

4/30 – Section 3 – 11 miles

5/22 – Section 3 – 6.5 miles

5/29 – Section 2 – 6.8 miles

6/20 – Section 1 – 8.6 miles

8/21 – Section 4 – 6.3 miles

9/11 – Section 4 – 6.4 miles

9/18 – Section 6 – 2.8 miles

10/29 – Section 9 – 6.8 miles

11/8 – Section 4 – 3.8 miles

12/10 – Section 9 – 6.0 miles

12/18 – Section 6 – 4.8 miles

12/26 – Section 5 – 5.7 miles

 

Total miles: 128 miles

Base: Madison, CT

 

What do you love about the NET?

The diversity of scenery

 

How would you describe the New England Trail to someone who has never hiked it?

 

Awesome when traversed in good weather. Still fun when the weather is not as good.

 

Susan and Brian Kenney

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hike50 participants

Date completed: 7/11/2022

Miles: 52.59 miles

East River Preserve – 6.03 miles, CT NET: Section 7 – 7.2 miles, CT NET: Section 8 – 8.1 miles, Mt. Higby – 4.52 miles, , Mt Norwottock – 4.25 miles, Rattlesnake Mtn/Pinnacle Rock – 4.91 miles, CT NET: Section 9 – 6 miles, CT NET: Section 1 – 6.58 miles, Erving Ledges/Hermit Mtn – 5 miles

Base: Somerset, MA

Describe the NET: 

The New England Trail is a wonderful trail system that encompasses Connecticut, Massachusetts and part of New Hampshire.  It takes you on a journey where you will see such amazing features as caves, glacial erratics, ledges, waterfalls, wildlife and different species of plants and trees.  The best part is that you can do all or part of any trail and feel a deep sense of accomplishment.

What do you love about the NET?

What I love most is that you can do any number of hikes in both Connecticut and Massachusetts and they aren’t located in just one state.  This allows you to visit new and exciting places that you never knew existed.

 

Advice for NET Hikers:

Set a destination, lace up your hiking boots, grab a walking stick, snacks and lots of water and head out the door to begin your adventure.  It only takes a few steps into the fresh air to see all the wonders and beauty each trail has to offer.  You will definitely be hooked!

Trail Story:

This was our first time participating in the Hike 50 Challenge and it was such an amazing journey.  Each trail offered us the opportunity to take a step back in time to a simpler way of life and to be aware of the sights and sounds around us.  We all need a bit of peace and tranquility in our lives and this challenge is a good way to achieve this.   We truly enjoyed all the trails we hiked and our thanks go out to all who made this hiking challenge possible.

Linda Bodman

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hike50 participant

Date completed: 12/13/2022

Miles: 48 miles + 2 social media pts

3 miles – CT Sec. 20,

3 miles – CT Sec. 21,

42 miles Sections 1-6 MA

Base: Southwick, MA

What do you love about the NET?

A lot of ridge line hiking with some gorgeous views.

 

How would you describe the New England Trail to someone who has never hiked it?

Well kept and defined trails.

 

Advice for NET Hikers:

Read some reviews of the various sections on NET page or AllTrails to get an idea of what you’ll be hiking.

 

Trail Story:

 

70 yr young first time hiker! I was inspired to complete this challenge by a dear friend who loves hiking and the woods and is not deterred by her Stage IV, metastatic breast cancer.

Kevin Hodlin

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hike100 participant

Date completed: 12/31/2022

Miles:  109.8 miles

Base: Southington, CT

Describe the NET: 

What do you love about the NET?

How close it is to home, easy to access and not overcrowded except the usual small hikes to the big views in nice weather…

How would you describe the New England Trail to someone who has never hiked it?

It’s a nice scenic trail especially considering a lot of the area it goes through and the population surrounding it. It’s also some good hiking for what you might expect to see in this area without too much elevation around.

 

Trail Story: 

It’s become more of making sure I get enough NET miles and on time rather then surprising myself, as 100 isn’t too many for me for the year. The challenge is more getting the 100 in but keeping things fresh and repeating as little trail as possible. What meant a lot to me this year is the new reroute to the Westfield River and the fact that the trail is brought right to the river crossing like it should be and always was. 

Sara Scribner and Brianna Dickens

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hike50 participant

Date completed: 11/4/2022

Miles:

We hiked 50 miles on the NET in the areas between Meriden, CT and Shutesbury, MA

Base: Enfield, CT

What do you love about the NET?

I love that is offers so many different areas to go explore that are similar and different

Trail Story:

We moved to this area during the pandemic, so have been slower to really get to know it. This challenge was a great way to get out and explore local trails and an excellent motivator to find a new spot to explore each weekend. 

Alex Chicoine

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hike50 participant

Date completed: 12/27/2022

Miles: 53.1 miles

4-10-22 Talcott Mtn sec 17 5.6 miles

4-17-22 Castle Craig sec 14 7 miles

5-29-22 Lamentation Mtn sec 13 5 miles

7-3-33 Rattlesnake Mtn sec 16 6.5 miles

10-30-22 Lamentation Mtn sec 13 5.6 miles

11-20-22 Pinnacle sec 16 4.7 miles

11-26-22 Talcott Mtn sec 17 6.5 miles

12-18-22 Bluff Head sec 9 5.8 miles

12-27-22 Mt Pisgah sec 9 6.4 miles

 

Base: Oakville, CT

What do you love about the NET?

The proximity to where I live, and there are some more challenging parts of it. I like looking up the history of the places near where I hike

Advice for NET Hikers:

Just get out and explore. There’s a hike for everyone.

 

How would you describe the New England Trail to someone who has never hiked it?

There’s a little bit of everything. deep woods where you feel like you’re in a wilderness and then a few miles later you’re overlooking a city or highway.

Trail Story:

I just had a fun time with my dog exploring more local hikes. I tried taking her to some new places and found some fun new ones for myself!

 

Jordan Marchand

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Hike100 participant

Date Completed: 6/4/2022

 

Home Base: Lowell, MA

 

Miles: 235 miles

 

What do you love about the NET?

 

It’s close to home and I had a support system to meet me in 2 towns to help me get a shower and resupply!

 

Trail Story: 

It was really fun, and I was pleasantly surprised with the beauty of it. I thru hiked the AT last year and was really itching to do another thru hike, and it made so much sense to choose the NET since it’s right in my backyard. I didn’t expect incredible sweeping mountainous views like on the AT in NC or NH/ME, and honestly thought the entire trail would likely be in the green tunnel. I loved popping out of the woods every so often to small viewpoints that I think showcased some of the hidden beauty that CT has to offer. I set out with the intent of challenging myself to see how quick I could complete it, and ended up completing it in roughly 7 days (two half days and six full days).

Katie Graham

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Hike100 participant

Date completed: 12/75/2021

Home base: Boston, MA

Miles: I hiked have been section hiking the NET across MA the last two years. I don’t usually have a car spot, so I frequently have to do there and back hikes for most sections and break up longer sections into pieces. In total it took almost 200 miles of walking to finish hiking across MA. I did about half of those miles in 2020 and 101.4 miles in 2021–these varied across sections as I did not hike in contiguous order. But sections I completed this year included parts of section 6, section 7, sections 9-11, half of section 15 (backpacking overnight), most of section 16, and all of sections 17-19.

What do you love about the NET? The NET has helped me get out and explore new places in MA I never would have thought to hike. I have found so many beautiful areas that I have fallen in love with and would hike again and again. 

Advice for NET Hikers: Just start! Some sections are more exciting than others, but there is variety in length, intensity, and terrain across the various sections, so find one that looks interesting and try it out!

Trail Story: 

I started hiking the NET in 2020 with goal of section hiking my way across Massachusetts (someday I hope to complete CT too). I usually don’t have a car spot, so I have to do there and back hikes which adds up my mileage! This year, I finally finished my hike across MA, saving sections 18 and 19 for last so I could finish at the NH/MA border. It felt so good to take my picture under the MA state line sign, and the snowy backdrop around Royalston Falls (I just completed this at the end of Nov) was picturesque. I capped off my completion of the MA NET with a side trip down to Royalston Falls which I have wanted to see for a long time.

One of my other highlights from the trail this year, was doing a there and back backpacking trip on the northern half of section 15. I hiked southbound on section 15 and stayed the night at the Wendell shelter. It was April and patchy snow was on the ground after a recent storm had come through, and while it was cold I was so excited to be out for my first backpacking overnight of the year. The trip was even more amazing than I expected, with so many beautiful waterfalls and streams along the way. I would backpack that section over and over again.

Steve Sussman

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hike100 participant

Date completed: 12/15/2021

Home base: Feeding Hills, MA

Miles: I used a spreadsheet to record over 100 miles of hikes on the trail, covering Mass sections 1-8. Obviously, I repeated some of the sections often. Here is a summary:

Date Section Mileage
26-Feb 2 (one way) 3.8
9-Mar 2 (one way) 3.8
30-Mar 1 (partial) & 2 6.1
17-Apr 7 (partial) 5.4
24-Apr 2 (out & back) 7.6
27-Apr 6 (partial) 5
2-May 3 and 4 (one way) 7.5
6-May 6 (partial) 5.1
11-May 1 (partial) 2
16-May 5 (one way) 4.5
19-May 8 (partial) 4.26
3-Jun 7 (partial) 6.96
11-Jun 6 (one way) 6.8
31-Jul 1 and 2 (one way) 6
10-Oct 7 (partial) 2.8
17-Oct 7 (partial) 5.4
8-Nov 6 (partial) 4.66
30-Nov 2 (partial 2 way) 4
4-Dec 2 (partial 2 way) 6
14-Dec 2 (partial 2 way) 6

TOTAL 103.68

Describe the NET: It is a highly varied trail that can be enjoyed by folks of all abilities. For instance, MA Section 1 is a gentle trail with inclines that are very doable, and it even has a fun handicapped access to a bridge over wetlands starting at the southern terminus. Contrast that with Sections 6 and 7, with lots of ups and downs, scrambling, and outstanding views to the west.

It is a Western New England gem.

What do you love about the NET? So close, but still woods, wildlife, and wonders.

Advice for NET Hikers: Go to the interactive map and click sections, so that you can select pages with info about each section (difficulty, parking, etc)

Trail Story: 

It is so wonderful to have this exciting, varied trail in our own backyard. I have hiked with friends and alone over the years, and it was fun to record the hikes. Even though I had to take a couple of breaks because of family health issues, I was surprised how the miles added up. This year, we hiked sections 3, 4, and 5 for the first time, and it was exciting to see new territory.

Thanks to all who maintain the trail sections, and to the folks who develop programs like the Hike 100 Challenge.