Getting to Know Greylock

[YankeyMCC]

Greylock St Park 23-25 May 2008

Trails: Money Brook, AT, Northrup, CCC Dynamite, Sperry Rd, Deer Hill, Haley Farm

Peaks: Mt Williams, Mt Fitch, Mt Greylock, Saddle Ball, Jones Nose (not sure if this really qualifies)

Total Mileage: 24 May: aprox 18 and then another 2 after dinner
25 May: 3.2
Weather: Very pleasant, slightly on the cold side, A storm cloud passed just prior to Noon but skies became sunny again by about 2PM. Temps between 50 and 60F, dropping down to low 40's at night

Trail conditions: Variable - some muddy, some dry, a few blow downs on all, but all were very passable and only one significant challenge due to a mud-slide

This was my first visit to Greylock (despite having grown up in Mass) and I guess I felt like making up for lost opportunity and really got to know the park in just a couple of days.

Arriving to the Visitor center at the southern gate of the park a little before 8PM I stopped to see if it was still open for and see if more detailed maps were available than the ones available online. It was open and I can not say enough about the helpful and friendly ranger on duty was.

I told him my plans, to spend the day on Saturday to do the "Greylock in the Round" hike in the suggested hike list and then do something else on Sunday after camping at Sperry Rd Campsite. I had a reservation for the next night as well as an option. I did not know what I was going to do on Sunday though.

What ended up happening is he and I, looking over mileage guides and the nice 3-D model they have, extended the "Greylock in the Round" hike out to Jones Nose, so I could see the Boreal Forest (which the Ranger informed me was the only one in Mass). So I ended up with a single very long day that certainly gave me, I think, I pretty thorough Greylock experience.

I car camped at the Parking lot on Hopper Rd/Haley Farm, the night of the 23rd.

5:45AM started up the Money Brook trail. As the Ranger had warned me about a very large mud slide that had wiped out the trail for several yards. I managed to get around without trouble though. The rest of the trail had some muddy and damp spots but nothing dangerous with careful attention.

This trail takes you up through the Hopper (a National Natural Landmark) and this was very pleasant and beautiful. Particularly as I had no company at this point (In fact I met no one on the trail until just before the Greylock Summit at around 11AM).

The most strenuous portion was getting up over the Falls at the head of the Hopper. Shortly after that I reached Wilbur's cleaning, an AT Hut and camping area, where I took a break and learned that I should not only check the batteries in my camera before going but also my spares. I wasted a lot of time trying to get some timed pictures of myself with all nearly dead batteries.

From Wilbur's Cleaning I started up the AT to Mt Williams, nothing significant to report on this trail but the views from Mt Williams were very nice, the day was still very clear and sunny and views were extremely good.

Following the AT south I headed towards Greylock, passing over Mt Fitch (no real marker or significant view) and snacked on slightly past peak, but still tasty, fiddleheads as I walked.

Lots of Ups and Downs (not quiet bad enough for me to complain of PUDs).

I reached Greylock around 11AM, explored the Thunderbolt cabin, the closed War Memorial (an impressive structure) and took in the view. The sky was clouding up and wind was picking up a good deal making the air feel much colder. A large black storm cloud was passing over and even with the high winds it took a couple of hours to complexly pass but it did not drop any rain.

I didn't spend much time on the summit, the views were fair, more expansive than from Williams but not really that much more and with the cloud I wanted to try and get out over Saddle Ball and Jones Nose if I could before any heavy rain that cloud looked like it was carrying dropped.

By the time I crossed Saddle Ball the winds were still high and the cloud still covered Greylock but it was clearly moving off without dropping off any rain and the people I was passing going north were dry and hot and the trails became much drier too.

The boreal forest was pleasant, nothing new to hikers of the Whites but I wanted to see the only one in Mass, also many of the needles were yellow. I wonder if this forest is facing some new threat? I remember hearing recently of a pest affecting spruce up north for the first time this year. I'm sorry I forget the name.

I left the boreal forest and the AT getting on the Northrup trail for a bit to get to Jones Nose. Half way between the AT junction and Jones Nose there is a view point where you can see the Catskills. This was my favorite spot of the day (Stony Ledge turned out to usurp it), the views over to the Catskills was clear and expansive and beautiful under clear blue skies and fluffy, friendly looking clouds.

Dragging myself away from the Catskill view I got to Jones Nose then headed down the CCC Dynamite trail towards Sperry Rd. Once I got to Rockwell Rd, it was another 1/2 mile to my campsite down Sprerry Rd.

My site was about as far away from the "closest" water source as possible and still be within the campgrounds, but the reserved sites in Sperry Rd are very nice because they are well kept and provide a nice sense of privacy. So after about 1/4 walk to get water I had about the best chili I've ever eaten (http://products.maryjanesfarm.org/pfoshop/product.asp?dept_id=54&ProductID=466011) of course perhaps the 18 miles I trapped that day added something to the flavor.

After dinner I went in search of a good spot to watch the sunset. I thought the Deer Hill falls would be good. I was wrong, to many trees in the way, but seeing the falls themselves was worth the 2 miles. I found a spot up near the camp check-in where I had a far view through the trees and could see the sky at least and watch the colors.

Both nights, Friday and Saturday, provided a spectacular star view. The skies were clear and the stars bright, almost like watching a fireworks show but much more beautiful really. The moon too was very bright.

The night was spent rather uncomfortably though because I had forgotten my sleeping pad and the ground was just cold and hard enough to make an uncomfortable night. I thought I had padded myself sufficiently with dry leaves but not enough. So another lesson learned.

One high point of the night though was hearing two owls calling to each other. I've heard owls before of course but usually just an isolated hoot or two, this was a sustained "conversation" actually it happened a couple of times during the night.

I got up before sunset, sucked down some hot tea and a granola bar then hiked up to the Stony ledge view point to watch the sunrise over Greylock and the other peaks I had hiked the day before. I'm not even going to try and describe that. I didn't get any pictures until well after the sun rose due to waning batteries but also because I was caught up in the experience and didn't think of trying to take pictures until the sun well over the ridge line.

The rest of the hike, down the Haley Farm trail, was pleasant if a bit steep. This might actually have been the most sustained steep climb of the hike, although I was going down not up. There is a spot near the top of this trail that gives a nice view to the north west and I stopped and watch a patch of fog caress the woods and fields down below, and contemplated deep philosophical thoughts, so you can skip the rest of this paragraph if you don't care for that kind of thing. :) .The fog can only do what it does, it can not change it's nature so although it does not have the capacity to feel happiness it doesn't need that capacity because it just does what it does. There is a Buddhist saying that we should be as the wind that passes over the grass and Marcus Aurelius says that a man can only be who he is, he can only act as his nature dictates. So like the fog we can only do what our nature allows, yet we also have the capacity to be conscious of our state of happiness (or lack thereof) we question if we are doing what is best and what our nature is. Why do we do this? What good comes of it if we can only do what our nature allows? Perhaps it is because it drives our connection to each other. The fog has no capacity for desire to understand more than what it touches, humans have a desire to understand the universe around them but each human can, like the fog (although it has no conciousness of it, again it doesn't need it), only understand what they personally touch and observe, by coming together we can share and compare experiences and through our differences deepening our understanding of each other and the universe in general.

I regained my sense of connection to the land this weekend after a long winter (I don't do winter hiking - yet) but I also connected with the people I met on the trail via the land we all tramped upon no matter our reasons for being there,

Ok done with philosophy, read on! ;)

At the trailhead the cows were being moved to a new pasturing area, I spoke a bit with the folks that worked the farm, nice people.

I originally wanted to bag a couple of NH 4K's this weekend but ended up due to conditions and schedule doing Greylock instead. And I'm glad for it, you can't let a list dictate what you do or you miss out. The Whites are still where my heart feels closest but Greylock is also a special place and a treasure for Mass and the region. It is perhaps less sublime in nature than the Whites, and the trails a less treacherous (not so many ankle twisting rocks and roots) but that is part of it's nature and unique contribution to the larger character that is the special place known as New England.

Lessons learned: I would've liked to have some light gloves for the cold mornings, check spare batteries, don't Forget sleeping pad even with a good sleeping bag, never let a list dictate your outdoors agenda. This was an appropriate trip for a Memorial Day weekend, with a good deal of patriotic connections. The impressive war memorial, hiking along a trail first built by the CCC, summiting a peak that some accounts say gave inspiration to Melville who's novel "Moby Dick" is arguably one of if not the definitive American Novel, and Massachusetts' First State Park marking the American tradition (of the people if not always the government and economic leaders) of respecting the importance and beauty of the land.

Pix: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinfea/sets/72157605265089196/