Climbed two small trail-less peaks in the southern Taconics (Berkshires) today. The first was Mount Plantain - name after the New England plant, not the banana like fruit. I parked at a trailhead on East Street - about a mile from the MA/CT border. The land east of the road is a conservation easement (Nature Conservancy). I followed the entrance logging road for about 10 min. Then turned right at a junction onto another logging road for another five min. (This road eventually leads to the AT near Sages Ravine.) I left the road and headed east uphill toward the northern end of the peak. It's only about 1/3 mile as the crow flies, but I am not a bird. So, I was not able to fly over the tangled mass of mountain laurel that covers this side of the mountain. Eventually I reached the top and it was much easier going. There was a lot of open grassy areas, but no great views - just a couple of views over the trees. I headed back down a different route (more to the south). Luckily, I picked up a hunters path which I followed for a while until I lost it - not far from the logging road though. It was a lot quicker to come down than going up.
Summit Elevation: Plantain 2088 ft
Round-trip Distance: 2.5 mi
Elevation Change: 425 ft
After reaching the car, I went across the street and climbed Mount Ashley. I headed almost due west until I reached the ridge. Then I turned south and followed the ridge to the peak. It wasn't too bad going. There were some swaths of mountain laurel along the way, but you could usually skirt around them on one side of the ridge or the other. They were interspersed with open, lightly wooded areas covered with grasses and ferns - mostly dead now and doing a good job of hiding all the rocks and other tripping hazards. It was a bit thick closer to the summit, but I think I just chose a bad route. Again, there were a few views over the trees - mostly to the east. After tagging the top, I backtracked back to the car.
Summit Elevation: Ashley 2390 ft
Round-trip Distance: 2.5 mi
Elevation Change: 720 ft
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