Tuesday Night Hikes

Welcome to the Tuesday Night Hike home page!
Watch this page for the hike schedule, announcements, etc.

Tuesday Night Hikes 2006

	DATE	HIKE	PICTURES
1	April 25, 2006	Bare Mountain
2	May 2, 2006
3	May 9, 2006
4	May 16, 2006
5	May 23, 2006	Mt. Holyoke
6	May 30, 2006	Mt. Norwottock
7	June 6, 2006	Mt. Toby
8	June 13, 2006	Mt. Tom
9	June 20, 2006	Nonotuck / Goat Peak
10	June 27, 2006	Quabbin / East
11	July 4, 2006	No Hike Holiday
12	July 11, 2006	Wendell State Forest
13	July 18, 2006	Canoeing Barton's Cove
14	July 25, 2006	Norwottock Rattlesnake Knob
15	August 1, 2006	Quabbin Rattlesnake Hill	Pictures coming soon!
16	August 8, 2006	Wendell Redux	Pictures coming soon!
17	August 15, 2006
18	August 22, 2006
19	August 29, 2006
20	September 5, 2006	Canoeing

What are the Hikes?

The Tuesday Night Hikes are a series of summer evening hikes at or near the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. We usually start them in late April or early May, and end them in late August or early September. Traditionally, we go to the cliffs at Mt. Tom, Easthampton, on the Tuesday closest to the summer solstice, and we finish the summer season with a canoe trip/cookout to Second Island, just upstream from Sunderland. Experience is not required, but it helps to be in reasonable walking shape. Some hikes are more strenuous than others, but we aren't doing technical rock climbing or anything like that here.

Who do I contact?

Me. I'm Bill Verts, one of your fearless leaders. To get on the mailing list with announcements for upcoming hike, news, pictures, etc., please send email to VERTS@CS.UMASS.EDU.

When and Where do they meet?

We meet at 5:45pm at the steps of the Student Union Building at the University of Massachusetts. We wait for stragglers until 6:00, then head out for the trails. Our target is to be on the trails as much before 6:30 as possible, depending on the distance we have to drive.

We are usually out until it is quite dark, so please don't schedule late evening events if you can help it. Depending on the trip, we may be back in town by 9:00, or we may not get back until past 11:00.

Depending on when, where, and on which side of the Connecticut River the hike happens to be on, we usually go to Herrell's in Northampton, Bart's in Amherst, or the Sugarloaf Frosty in Sunderland for post-hike ice cream.

What happens if it is raining?

Depends on how stupid you want to be. We've had some very nice hikes in the rain, and we've cancelled on threat of thunderstorms. Generally we know enough to come in out of the rain (but not always). There is a tradition, though, that once per summer we can call off a hike on account of rain and lead a "hike" to Bub's Barbecue in Sunderland instead. When we actually go to Bub's, of course, is variable and weather dependent. Make sure you have $20 in your jeans just in case!

Do I need a car?

No, but if you can drive, please offer. We usually have enough cars to take everyone who shows up at the steps, but it is nice to have a surplus, particularly if some drivers want to go directly home after the hike and not return to UMass. You can leave your car in the UMass Police Station parking lot after dark.

What do I need to bring?

Good hiking shoes or boots (mandatory)
Water bottles (mandatory)
A flashlight (mandatory)
A light jacket
A hat or scarf
A bag dinner
Bug repellent (if you are so inclined)
A small backpack or fanny pack (recommended)
A towel on swimming days
An adventurous but mellow attitude!

What do I need to watch out for?

There are a few hazards on the Tuesday Night Hikes, but most are pretty benign if you take reasonable precautions. Some of those hazards include:

Poison Ivy -- there is some around, we'll try to steer you clear of it.
Black flies -- always nastier.
Ticks -- massive infestation at the Quabbin Reservoir.
Yellow Jackets -- we did run into a nest one year, but not recently.
Steve Choate -- we might bother to explain later.

We have never run into a bear (a real one, at least), a bobcat, mountain lions, wild pigs (tame ones, though), crazed axe murderers, or anything of the like. We have seen deer, owls, chipmunks, hawks, snakes (non-poisonous), other hikers (occasionally poisonous), porcupines, lots of mosquitos, and we were escorted out of the Quabbin one year by a pack of howling coyotes, but nothing really dangerous. Most dogs are tied up when we go past. I wouldn't worry about it. Don't be so tense.

(Actually, the one thing to worry about is the tick situation, or at least that's what weirds me out. Lyme disease is carried by the tiny ticks, but the big ticks are icky enough, and nasty when they bite you. I make the habit of using lots of bug repellent and tucking my pant legs into my socks on a "tick hike", then hanging my hiking clothes out on the back porch and taking a full soapy, scrubby shower afterwards. As long as you take care of the problem before it becomes a problem, you should be OK. Don't forget to vacuum the car out, too.)

How long have they been going on?

The Tuesday Night Hikes have been a tradition in the UMass Outing Club for many years. I can remember attending these hikes back in 1982 or so, and I know they were going on for some time before that. I started attending regularly in the late 1980's -- Al Hough led them from 1987 through 1989, and except for the summer of 1993 when I coerced Jack Conrad into leading them, I have leading them ever since 1990. Lately, Al & I tend to more or less swap off (but he still thinks I lead them).

What are some of the traditions?

Ice cream after the hike has already been mentioned, as has the Mt. Tom hike on the solstice, the canoe trip cookout in Sunderland on the last trip, and going to Bub's on a rain-out. Some of the other traditions that we have developed over the years are:

Climbing to Titan's Piazza (aka Titan's Pizza) on the Mt. Holyoke (Skinner Park) hike for a geology lesson about columnar basalt.
Targetting the hike to Wendell State Forest for the height of the wild blueberry season.
Saving the Buffam Falls hike (aka the "Three Reservoir Hike") for the hottest day in the summer because there is a place to soak your feet (and other bits) at the end.
Stopping at the Horse Caves on Mt. Norwottock for the history lesson about Daniel Shays.
On the Mt. Lincoln hike going to the "Monk's Cave" next to the old cemetery, trying to find the well at the old house site, and visiting the "Silverware" Cemetery (the Civil War Cemetery).
Trying to do Goat Peak (aka Goat's Peak, or Goat Speak) when the Mountain Laurel is in bloom (although other hikes are usually pretty good for Mountain Laurel, too).
Arguing about which trail to take.
Erik's chocolate chip cookies. His fudge is pretty good, too.