MOOSIC

I’ve been looking at this triangulation station on the topo map for years. Because there is a windmill farm along this ridge, I never felt comfortable just hiking or biking in, although I know that people do hike here upon occasion, apparently without incident. We were very close by today while looking for OAK TREE LODGE, and when we drove past the gate across the track road leading up to the ridge, we noticed that the gate was open. This was our chance!

We drove toward the coordinates and found a fenced-in site on a concrete platform with a small building and a tower (a radio tower, not a windmill tower). It wasn’t apparent whether the coordinates were actually inside the fenced-in area (in which case I doubt the mark is still recoverable). But with the height and density of the vegetation surrounding the site, I knew it would be extremely difficult to find a mark set on bedrock flush with the surface, even if it was technically accessible.

It’s probably a good thing that we decided right away not to bother with this mark today—Rich was feeling anxious about why the gate was open (was someone working up here, and what if they left and locked us in?). We left the site pretty quickly and on our way out Rich did spot a worker’s truck in a pulloff close to the gate, so the scenario of us getting locked in there certainly would have been possible. Maybe we can try again on foot another day.