We packed up my Ford Escape Hybrid and headed west this time. I was kinda curious about camping somewhere in Massachussetts. I think this is the first time we have ever done that. We have always gone north to NH, VT, and ME. We've even gone east to the Cape, but never west and in MA.
On our way, we stop at REI in Framingham.
Mr. Mountain Man has decided that he would like to start backpacking. He has tentatively planned a trip with an old childhood buddy for a few weeks away. So we stop at REI so that he can find himself a pack and start breaking it in before the big trip. As he tries them on in the store, I am more and more confirmed that this activity is not for me. The packs are awkwardly humungozoid. They start at 60 Liters for your warmer weather backpacking trip and go up to 95 Liters for when temperatures go below 50 and you need to pack a lot more extra layers. I think of all the things I would not be able to pack in there, extra outfits, food, my extra soft blankie. And then, even if it would all fit, I don't want to carry it!
I leave him to try out the pack to do a little shopping of my own. This is one of my favorite stores to be in. Fun fun fun! I quickly find a few capri length hiking pants and a very light weight UnderArmor tank. I have been wanting longer hiking pants for awhile to keep the bugs from munching up my legs. I also find some special joint strength treats for Riley. They make some decent wheat and corn-free treats at REI! They will be good snacks for him on the trail. I check back in with the wanna-be backpacker and he has picked out the 95 L pack. We get on our way.
We drive towards the Northern Berkshires of western Massachusetts into Mount Greylock State Reservation. At 3,491 feet, Mount Greylock is the highest peak in Massachusetts. They say on a clear day, you can see five states from the summit. This is not the first time we've visited Mt. Greylock. Several years ago, Jeffrey and I went on a drive and ended up here. We drove to the summit and almost froze. I think it was in November or December. Then two years ago, we came here again and hiked up with Riley as a one year old. Here is a picture we took of Riley being a silly one year old at Mt. Greylock.
We quickly set up camp at site 35 after a less than warm and fuzzy welcome from the ranger. I think his first words were, "This is a campground. What do you want to do?" in a very suspecting tone. Even after we give him our name and confirm that we have a reservation, he continues with his authoritative rant of all the rules. No problem old man.
This campground is different from most we stay at. There is one road in and one road out, which makes for a lot of road noise. Luckily, Jeffrey has reserved the site all the way at the end so that we have very few neighbors. Most of the sites are not entirely visible from the road. You have to park your car and walk your things in. Our site is almost 50 feet in from where the car is parked. No one can see us from the road. After setting up and getting a bit of food in us, we are on our way to explore.
We walk up a short hill that is past our campsite. I think it's called Stony Ledge. I notice that it is cool but the humidity is rising. Riley is feeling the humidity and appears extra tired despite the minimal incline. We get to the top shortly and I am quickly annoyed by the swarms of giant flies. They are not the biting black flies but they are disgusting. We stay briefly while Jeffrey plays with our new Nikon CoolPics digital camera. Our last Nikon CoolPics served us well. This new one has some great features, like this action feature, where you can take multiple shots in a frame sequence.
After walking back down, we head over to the other end of camp to the ranger's shelter. We talk to the ranger on duty for a minute and then head across the road to the Cataract Trail. We are told it is a moderate hike with a nice waterfall at the end. It doesn't take us very long but the trail is very rocky and quite steep at one point. I was entirely impressed by a father and his daughter hiking back together. The little girl could not have been any older than four. And carried her own little pink vinyl backpack. Here we are enjoying the falling water. Jeffrey plays with the new camera some more.
We return to our campsite and I whip up some dinner while Jeffrey starts to make a campfire. Upon return from fetching firewood, he says two men were at the ranger's station reporting two bears had wandered onto their site. WHAT?!@*#$%%#@>?! Jeffrey had read to me earilier that we were in black bear country and I scoffed it off. We're in a campground. Bears don't come into noisy campgrounds?! Wrong.
I continue to make dinner but keep an eye on Riley. He's our first alert. I make Caribbean beans and rice, topped with mozzerella cheese, and a little tuna salad on whole wheat crackers. Nothing like strong, aromatic food to draw in the bears huh?! We refrain from letting Riley eat his chicken thigh on the ground in fear of leaving the scent of fresh blood. So Riley gets some tuna and licks the pots clean for us. We sit around the fire and read into the night. As darkness falls, I cannot help but to watch Riley's every gaze and move. He suddenly perks up, looking out into the darkness, and produces a deep, throaty growl. Okay, time to pack things up. We put all the food and trash back into the car, grab the ax and head into the tent. Jeffrey instructs me that if a bear comes, I am to grab Riley and run while he fights the bear with a wood axe. Right, hun. don't have I have pepper spray in the car? Before we go to bed, Jeffrey plays some more with the new camera.
We start the Hopper Trail early the next morning as it is definitely going to be a hot day. The humidity is increasing by the minute and the sun is out. We pack up our things and start the hike. Jeffrey is breaking in his new pack by carrying about 30 pounds in his pack. I think he's got the queen sized air mattress in there, plus our food. 
The hike up should have taken us an hour and a half, an hour and 45 minutes at the most. Instead, it takes us over 2 hours...right into the mid day heat. Why? Because about 100 crazy people have decided to have a trail race on the mountain. So while we carefully find footing on the rocky and rooty trail that is still wet and slippery from the rain, 100 or so runners are crashing through the brush at us. Several of them do thank us for trying to get out of their way but many of them are taking themselves quite seriously and at one point, one man, in an attempt to pass another woman who has kindly slowed down to pass us, runs right into Riley, who has also gotten off the trail to avoid being trampled. This really pisses us off and we decide to ignore all the runners and hike as we would or we'd never reach the summit. Uphill hikers always have right of way!! Not only am I shocked that so many people are looking for a good way to sprain an ankle or break their neck, but there is even a pregnant woman (easily 6 months) running down the mountain! Nothing like downhill trail running to get your high-impact aerobics in! 10 minutes to the summit and I am seriously fearing heat exhaustion for Riley. With the suffocating humidity, he cannot get his body to cool off. We cannot wait to find some shade and cool off.
At the top, we settle down next to the same tree we did two years ago. Luckily, I packed some ice in my Camelback. Riley crunches through the ice and seems better in just a few minutes. Two black flies find the right side of my face and it immediately starts to swell, and bleed! Those damn black flies. I happily munch on strawberries, apples, and nuts, ignoring the view entirely. Before we head back down, I give Riley a foot bath. Knowing that he only has sweat pores on the pads of his feet, I soak each paw in his water bowl to help cool him off. He seems to appreciate the gesture and does not resist my efforts. The downhill hike only takes us about 45 minutes.
On the way home we stop the day use area at Savoy Mountain State Forest to swim in the pond. The swim is wonderfully refreshing. I instantly wish this is something we could do all the time, like on our own summer vacation home. There is something very great about swimming in a natural pond or lake. Refreshed after our swim, we head home. Home sweet home.
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