| |
Forested trails
are at the heart of Notchview but the Reservation also offers
room for open field touring.
Sawmill Field lies just beyond the eastern edge of Circuit. Its
slopes, steeper at the west end of the field, are grounds for
tentative (or accomplished) telemarking. Its aspect, a southern
exposure, should be warming on a sunny day and the Trela Shelter
is popular for its outlook.  Bumpus
Trail skirts the woods lines along the upper edge of the field
and Mixed Wood Trail loops around the bottom.
Bates Field lies farther afield, at the end of Minor Trail. Bumpus
Trail eventually crosses it and Bates Road provides another access
point. The winds can be fierce here, more so since islands of
second growth hardwood trees were removed to provide more encouraging
habitat for birds to nest, particularly Savannah sparrows and
bobolinks. Bates Field provides the best view of the notch (over
West Cummington) that gives the Reservation its name. The new
Pierce Shelter replaces the original, torched by vandals in 2001.
The removal of wooded islands eliminated some of the fun of skiing
through and among them, but there are acres of untracked snow
to ski and inclines for sport, best experienced with the wind
at your back.
|
