Down The Trail

Hike North______________The Long Trail______________Hike South

The Long Trail End-to-End Journal (Southbound)
October 21, 2007
Williamstown, MA to Mount Greylock
(And back the next day)

I wake still not feeling 100%, but well enough to check out of the motel and see where the day leads. First I go across the street to the Price Chopper and find myself at the deli getting some fresh cut roast beef and a loaf of wheat bread to go with it. I stroll west into Williamstown to inquire about the bus schedule to get me home.

It’s a beautiful Autumn Sunday at Williams College.

I walk through the center of town to The Williams Inn at the far west end, and inquire about the bus line. It departs for New York City twice daily, at 10am and 4pm. Nearby there’s a small information booth for visitors and tourists with free flyers and a park bench outside. I have a seat and eat a large quantity of roast beef sandwiches in the sun, feeling better.

I had wanted to finish this hike of The Long Trail on Mount Greylock, Massachusetts. It’s a favorite place of mine on the Appalachian Trail that I thought would be nice to revisit, with the added bonus of providing a mountaintop climax for this trip.

I wander into a small bookstore and look over the literature section hoping for something to catch my eye for the trip home. I walk out with Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman in hand. Returning east toward North Adams and the Appalachian Trail that leads up Greylock, I get a large coffee at Dunkin Donuts and stop at Price Chopper again for more bread and meat for the overnight hike

White blazes mark The Appalachian Trail as well.

The way south out of North Adams is steeper than I recall, and I meet a handful of day hikers on their way down the mountain. This is the first viewpoint.

There’s an auto road that goes to the top of Greylock, currently closed for construction. I’m racing the sunset, and take to the road as a shortcut. With a huge burst of energy and enthusiam, I’m literally jogging up the mountain in short spurts. A man and woman leisurely walk to the summit, where the man hopes to fly a kite. A lone cyclist coasts by and offers a head nod in greeting.

The summit of Greylock is crowned with The Veterans War Memorial Tower – actually a stone lighthouse on top of the mountain – seen here from the road.

Don’t miss the next page! (This day continued)

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