My parents grew up
in Adams, Massachusetts, in the northwest corner of the Berkshires. Adams is
noteworthy for its textile mills (now mostly dormant); as the birthplace of
suffragist Susan B. Anthony; and for Mount Greylock, which is the tallest
mountain in the state. As a child, I enjoyed visiting its summit with my extended
family, both by car and on foot.
That was back in the
days when my grandparents were alive. During our visits, it seemed I was always
discovering new relatives -- a seemingly endless parade of aunts and uncles and
third cousins, twice removed. Our visits to Adams have tapered off dramatically
now that only a handful of family members still live there.
Abel, my son, has
heard about Adams for as long as he can remember – mostly through stories told
by his grandparents. But other than a funeral he attended when he was 18 months
old, until this summer he had never experienced it. He is now eight, and he was
enthusiastic about a Family History tour, so we planned an excursion for a few
days in July – my son, my parents, and me.
The idea was to tour
the town and point out all the landmarks, to visit Abel’s Great-Great Aunt
Florence (aka Cioci Flo), and if the weather permitted, to climb Mount
Greylock. We lucked into a warm sunny day that was only moderately muggy. Not
bad for mid-July.
The state Department
of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has done a great job making Greylock
accessible. I found, online, a set of recommended hikes, and was able to
compare distance, duration, and level of difficulty to find a trail suitable
for an 8-year old, his mother, and his grandparents. (Trail maps are also
available at Visitor Centers in Lanesborough and North Adams.) We chose the
Cheshire Harbor Trail, which begins in the foothills, and winds its way up the
mountain for about three miles before connecting with the Appalachian Trail for
the final mile to the summit.
I won’t say it was
easy. It was a steady uphill climb over uneven terrain. Since it had poured
buckets the night before, there were a lot of wet patches that we had to tiptoe
over, or around, to avoid slipping.
But it wasn’t
super-difficult either. My son, who wasn’t quite sure he would like this thing
called hiking, rose to the challenge. There were moments of boredom for sure (a
four-hour uphill hike is asking a lot of a child), but there were rewards. We
had been telling Abel about the Appalachian Trail (AT), which runs from Georgia
to Maine, and its thru-hikers – the men and women who traverse the entire
thing. Halfway up the Greylock section of the AT, we were fortunate to meet a
couple of them. “Cocoa,” a Minnesota-based student at Williams College nearby,
had been hiking since April with his brother, “Banyan.” After sharing with us
some of the highlights (care packages) and low points (norovirus) of their
journey, they bestowed upon Abel his own trail name: Dragonslayer. It was
inspiring to meet these young men who had been hiking -- day-in, day-out -- for
months, and still had quite a journey ahead of them.
We had set out on
the trail at 10am, and by 1 o’clock we were eager to get to the top, to have
lunch. As tired as we were, we knew we were close when all we could see above us
was sky. Before heading into Bascom Lodge, we went up to the Veterans War
Memorial Tower, and then over to an observation area, to peer down over Adams
from 3,491 feet. We could see Cioci Flo’s house, as well as the homes of
several other family members past and present. Then it was time to eat. Food
always seems to taste better when you’ve worked hard.
After lunch, and a
quick exploration of the lodge, we were ready to head back down. We were hoping
it would be a quicker descent – and it was, but only by an hour or so. Those
wet spots proved to be even more challenging on the down slope. When we reached
the car just before 5 o’clock, seven hours and who knows how many steps after
we’d started, we all felt a sense of accomplishment. Abel said he would like to
do it again, and also climb other mountains, but “not this summer, okay?”
That evening, after
picking up take-out dinner, we lounged in our hiking clothes on the porch of
our hotel – boots off, feet bare – relishing our experiences. It had been a very
pleasant day, filled with conversation, challenge, new terrain and beautiful
scenery – a great way to spend time together.
The mountains here
in Massachusetts are not all that tall. But especially for families with
beginning hikers, they may pose a suitable challenge. Friends have recommended
Sugarloaf (South Deerfield), Norwottuck (South Hadley), Wachusett (Princeton),
and Mt. Tom (Easthampton), so perhaps one of those will be next on our itinerary.
by Kezia Bacon
July 2014
Kezia Bacon's articles
appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local
non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance
and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership
information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781)
659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and
Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com
