Ben just grabbed a seat after walking across the summit of Mt. Greylock. It’s hard to blame him. Mt. Greylock Photo Album

After our adventures in Rhode Island, the time came to make the about two hour trip back to Massachusetts and pick up the highpoint of the Bay State.

All of the time I had ever spent in Massachusetts had been in Boston and along the cape, so I didn’t know what to expect from the mountainous area of the commonwealth.  I quickly learned that it was much better than I had expected.

Mt. Greylock has been featured in literature, and it has inspired writers in the past.  J. K. Rowling placed a school of wizardry on the mountain in 2016 (spoiler alert….we didn’t find it), and Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville both found it as muse of sorts in their writing.  After hiking the mountain and sitting at its summit, it is easy to see why.

For those who have not been, you have a few options when it comes to reaching the summit of Mt. Greylock. You can drive all the way to the summit, you can hike in from outside the park on the Appalachian Trail, or you can use one of the parking lots along the drive to the summit, hit the trail and reach the top of Massachusetts.  If you have time, I strongly encourage taking a hiking route.  It is a pleasant trail.

Being rushed a bit for time, and given my son’s feelings that a drive up is cheating after our visit to Mt. Washington, we drove a little way up the mountain, and parked and headed up the trail.

One of  the more interesting things about being on a trail is that you never know whom you will meet along the way.  While heading to the summit, Ben needed to take a quick break, and while waiting, a family wearing Brewers hats came by.  We chatted for a minute, and it turned out they were from the Milwaukee area, but had visited near our home town when they went to watch the Biloxi Shuckers, the Brewers AA affiliate, play a few games on a trip. I tell you, sports has a way of connecting us.

After the chat, we continued up to the summit, and once there, I never expected the view we had.  It was breathtaking.  Just the overlook of the mountain out into the valley was magnificent.  It was the type of place where you could just chill for a few minutes and contemplate. It is a prefect example of why we need nature.  We need mountains and beaches and wild rock formations just to remind us to be still at times.

After walking around the summit a bit (unfortunately, the observation tower was closed) we grabbed lunch at the lodge on the summit and headed back down the Appalachian trail to the car.

Massachusetts is yet to disappoint me.