Day 147 - Monday, September 6, 2021

Happy Labor Day    America 🇺🇸  

Labor Day typically means the end of Summer, not the season, but with regards to family vacations and trips as most get ready to return to school and get back into the typical routines with work and every day activities.  You have also noticed that daylight hours are significantly less which we have to keep in mind with any longer hikes as it’s dusk at 7:15 pm this gets shorter every day. Hiking to 8 pm a month ago was not an issue, now you better have your headlamp with you 🥴.

Unfortunately, we don’t get a day off hiking due to the holiday, well we could but we chose to hike especially since no rain is expected 😁. 

Today we continue hiking in Massachusetts from MA 2, Hoosic River, Williamstowm, MA (1595.5 NoBo) to MA 8, Cheshire, MA (1581.4 NoBo) equaling 14.1miles.

We are also completing a couple significant milestones today: we are summiting Mt. Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts and after today’s hikes we will have less than 400 miles left to complete our thru hike 🎉.

We started hiking at 8:30 am under sunny skies.





Hiking through a corn field before we encounter climbing Mt. Greylock (in the background). A mere 2500 foot climb over 8 miles 🥵.



Local pond nestled in the woods near the summit.



A quote by Henry David Thoreau  chiseled into a rock nest the summit.



The  Massachusetts Veterans War  Memorial at the Mt. Greylock summit.



Turtle Power at the Massachusetts Veterans War Memorial.



The Massachusetts Veterans War Memorial plaque.






Meet USFS Security Officer Paul. Only him and his supervisor are responsible for the entire State of Massachusetts Parks Mountain Division.





Views from Mt. Greylock.


I didn’t see any hops…🙄.


View from Mt. Prospect.




 We began the 2000+ ft descent down to Williamstown. It certainly plays havoc with the knees. I was glad when we got all the way down.

We finished hiking at at 6:00 pm. It was a good day hiking… no falls/slips and no broken trekking poles 😉.


Till next time... Happy Hiking  🥾 

😋  


“Acts of generosity in this wild and primitive setting…where basic amenities…are intentionally absent–are often received in a heightened sense of wonder and gratitude by hikers. These acts of generosity are referred to as “trail magic.”

                  (Appalachian Trail Conservancy)


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