Bushwhacking Richmond's Attleboro Mountain

On the first Sunday in November, I decided to do a different kind of hike with my long-time hiking buddy, Curtis Carroll— a bushwhack trek up Attleboro Mountain in Richmond. Afterward, we planned to explore the Quint Preserve and an old mill site. After meeting up with Curtis (who lives in Southwest Vermont) at a Dunkin' Donuts at the junction of Routes 10, 78, and 119 in Winchester, we drove the short distance to the Quint Preserve; located off Lang Road, it is the trailhead for Attleboro Mountain (1,418-feet). &emsp;&emsp;Before starting out on the (discontinued) Attleboro Mountain Road, we both donned orange caps, an extra precaution due to it being muzzleloader deer hunting season - October 29-November 7. We walked uphill on the rocky road strewn with oak and beech leaves. In no time we met a hunter, Robert Lapati of Barre, Massachusetts, driving toward us in his Toyota Tacoma truck. Lapati explained he had hunted this area for 15 years and knew it well. He gave us valuable information about bushwhacking Attleboro Mountain, recommending that we walk just beyond a power line that stretched across the road and then turn right to begin our bushwhack there. "It would be easier at that point. Attleboro Mountain comes right down to the road and there's a lot of thick ledge before that," he said. Continuing our walk, we enjoyed the "second foliage season." The woods were a beautiful tapestry of muted earth tones—golds, browns, rusts and yellows. More beauty of the natural world presented itself: bright red partridgeberries poking out from clusters of small, rounded evergreen leaves, and a variety of trees. "That's a big, black birch. The wood is dense which makes it an excellent firewood," said Curtis. Black birch also smells good and is easy to cut. The road turned right, and it looked like we were getting closer to the mountain. We checked our location on Google Maps and noticed we were practically there. Although Lapati had recommended turning right at the power lines, we decided to enter the woods and begin our climb up the mountain at this point. It was a steep scramble through brush and around ledges. Soon we came to a thicket of saplings about chest high. I felt like we were walking through a miniature palisade wooden fort. Pushing aside branches, Curtis noticed old tire tracks which indicated we were on an overgrown logging trail. "That's what happens when you leave a logged area for 20 years. The path gets populated by saplings," he said. After a few minutes of getting whacked by the brush, we saw a stand of tall pine trees in the distance. "It looks like there might be a view over in that direction. Probably not great but at least it's something," said Curtis. When we reached the pines, walking became much more pleasant. We noticed some deer scat then explored the top of the mountain looking for a view, but we did not find one and headed back downhill. I wanted to retrace our route. But Curtis had other ideas, "We should consider finding an alternate route to avoid the thicket of saplings. I think we'll be all right. Anywhere we go downhill leads to the road we came in on," he said. I was somewhat skeptical but couldn't dispute his logic. And once we started, his advice rang true. We had found a much easier path through a pine forest with wide clearings between the trees. It was almost like walking in a park. Moving through a quiet, open stretch of woods I said, "This looks like a good spot for deer." No sooner had I uttered those words than did Curtis spy a metal deer stand with a ladder affixed to the side of a pine tree. "I would guess the road is not too far from here," he said, "I mean how far do you want to carry a deer?" Shortly we saw a stream trickling down the mountain side and decided to follow it downhill. Minutes later we found our feet firmly planted on Attleboro Mountain Road. Before heading back to the car, we decided to turn right on an unmarked trail to explore the Quint Preserve. If you enjoy exploring old cellar holes then this 280-acre preserve, managed by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, is the place for you. But since there are no marked trails, you'll need to navigate with a GPS, compass or map. A short walk brought us to a series of stone walls and old foundations. We also saw a slab of granite with drill marks. "Perhaps a door entrance," said Curtis. There were more cellar holes, chimney bricks and square cut nails attached to some sort of hinge. After our walk back in time, we returned to the car and set out to find the remnants of an old mill that we had heard about. But that's a story for another day. To get to the Quint Preserve, from the intersection of Routes 12 and 101 in Keene take Route 12 south. After 0.9 mile turn right onto Route 32 south (old Homestead Highway). Continue on Route 32 south for 11 miles. Turn right onto Bullock Road. Continue for 1.5 miles to Lang Road. Turn left and drive 1.3 mile farther to the Quint Preserve. Bushwhacking is something you should not undertake alone. In case of injury a partner can administer first aid or call for help, and a hiking companion can help plan and solve a route when the terrain becomes challenging. Bring a GPS, map and compass. A nearby place to visit is the Middletown Cemetery which is located on a hill next to the Town Hall off Route 32. The gravestones date back to the 1700s. There is also a well pump and granite watering trough located here. A sign notes: "Before the advent of the automobile, people traveled on horseback or in horse drawn vehicles. Towns throughout New England dug wells and installed iron pumps that fed wooden watering troughs for this essential public use. In 1915, Richmond resident, Leason Martin Jr., proprietor of the Martin Pail Mills, donated the granite trough as a memorial to his deceased sister, Lydia Martin Abbott."