Beginning A Hike On The Taconic Crest Trail

I'd attempted to hike the Taconic Crest Trail (AKA the Snow Hole Trail) on Christmas day but arrived at the parking area only to discover that I'd dressed quite imprudently for the high altitude weather and had forgotten my camera. So I returned the very next day, better prepared, and happily discovered a warmer day. I drove east on Route 2 through Rensselaer County until I passed through the tiny town of Petersburgh, New York. I could see the Taconic Crest straight ahead of me. That's where I'd be hiking, from right to left as it shows in this photo. You can see Route 2 winding its way up and over the mountains on the right hand side just below some telephone wires:

I parked in the parking lot at Petersburgh Pass, the highest point on Route 2, just a stone's throw from the Massachusetts border and pretty close to Vermont also. There once was a ski resort here, but now it's just a parking lot for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. There were many people using the old ski slopes for sledding on that day. They sure were having fun:

From where I parked I could see Mount Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts. You can see the War Memorial Tower at its peak if you click the photo to enlarge:

The dogs and I crossed the highway (there's very little traffic) and climbed up that steep slope to begin our hike:

The first several hundred feet are rather steep, but it's actually a rather easy hike after that. The dogs were all excited and running in circles:

When we reached the top I looked back at the people sledding on the other side. I could hear the children's laughter clear across the valley:

I signed the trail register and began the hike. All the sounds became muffled and a sense of serenity and peace  enveloped us as we entered the forest. Even the dogs seemed to sense it:

With all the leaves off the trees I could see mountains in every direction. Notice Fergus' ears flopping as he joyously romps along the trail:

Everything was snow covered but neither slippery nor deep. It was just right - except, that is, for the howling winds:

On and on we hiked through Hopkins Memorial Forest, now owned by Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts:

The trees are never very tall or old looking and I suspect that is a result of their rugged, mountaintop environment. But the forest is stunning nonetheless:

There were so many trail markers as to be almost silly. At times they seemed almost to be defacing the forest because there were so many of them. But I figured that too many was better than too few, especially for wintertime hikers. But we were just getting started. I'll post more tomorrow:

Bascom Lodge On Mount Greylock

Having explored the summit of Mount Greylock on foot and climbed the War Memorial Tower, I was ready to walk over to Bascom Lodge to revive more pleasant memories:

This beautiful, rustic lodge was built of native stone and lumber, procured mostly from the clearing of hiking trails. It opened in 1937 to skiers, hikers and sunrise-seekers:

I entered the front door and encountered this lovely rustic sitting room:

This is not a deluxe hotel but rather a rustic inn, a pleasant night in a real bed for many hikers of the Appalachian Trail:

Each day Bascom lodge serves homemade meals made from local ingredients grown without pesticides and shipped without preservatives. They were serving until 4:00 but I'd already eaten so I just snapped a picture and continued on my way:

I walked onto the back porch with its gorgeous views of the surrounding Berkshire Mountains. Alas, the moose head which used to hang on the wall was no longer there:

Off limits to non-paying guests, the stairs lead upstairs to the rooms which can be rented. In days past I've broken the rules and sneaked a peak. I found them to be barracks type rooms whose main purpose is to allow Appalachian Trail hikers a respite from the hard, stony ground:

One more glance back as I exited the Lodge:

Directly outside the front door is this amazing scene:

A young couple was walking down the hill through the field of wildflowers on their way to Bascom Lodge. But it was time for me to head home so I walked back to my car and began the journey:

War Memorial Tower Atop Mount Greylock

My next order of business was to visit the War Memorial Tower. A plaque informed me that it was built between 1931 and 1933 and dedicated before a crowd of 1200 people assembled on the summit (it must have been quite crowded up there). It was intended to stand as a beacon for peace, with its light beaming for miles from the atop the highest point in Massachusetts. I've seen the tower from atop Berlin Mountain in New York state, but only during the daytime. I've never seen it lit up at night:

I entered the base of the tower and was impressed by the beautiful rotunda with its elaborately painted ceiling:

The walls bore dedications to fallen war heroes:

One more look at the lovely ceiling before I began climbing the spiral staircase:

The stairs began in a narrow tube:

Which then opened up to a steel spiral stairway filled with people climbing up and down:

It was a shorter climb than the Pilgrim Memorial in Provincetown, though there were more people:

When I reached the very top, I could look out through the windows at the surrounding countryside. Plaques informed me what I was seeing. This is looking west toward the Hudson River Valley, The Taconic Mountains, the city of Albany and Berlin Mountain, all in New York:

Looking north toward the Adirondacks of New York, the towns of Williamstown and North Adams (Massachusetts) and the Green Mountains of Vermont:

Looking south toward the town of Cheshire, the Berkshire Mountains, Onota Lake, the city of Pittsfield (all in Massachusetts) and the Catskill Mountains of New York: By the way, that's Bascom Lodge below us, my next stop about which I'll post tomorrow:

This is looking east toward Mount Monadnock, Mount Wachusett, the town of Adams and the Hoosic River Valley:

And then I descended the spiral stairway. It was not as empty as it appears here. There were people climbing up and going down. The adults were courteous but the children expected everyone else to get out of their way:

Exploring The Summit Of Mount Greylock

I had chosen a beautiful, sunny Sunday to drive up Mount Greylock and so had hundreds of bikers. Individual or groups of two to ten bikers were ascending or descending the winding mountain road and negotiating the hairpin turns. I joined this group parked on the shoulder of the road to admire the view out over the Berkshire Mountains:

The view was magnificent:

And we looked out over a small town which I believe may have been Adams, Massachusetts:

I snapped one more photo and then resumed my drive up to the summit. Notice the cloud shadows moving across the landscape:

There were a lot of visitors to the summit that day and a ranger was collecting the $2.00 parking fee. I parked way off at the end of the lot by myself, near this Thunderbolt Shelter, or pavilion, because I knew from previous visits that a woodland trail from there would serve as a shortcut to the scenic summit:

I could see the War Memorial Tower from the parking lot:

I hiked up the short trail through the forest into the sunshine where these butterflies flitted and danced. I couldn't remember what it was except that I remembered it had an odd name. Indeed, when I looked it up it was a White Admiral, Limenitis arthemis arthemis. I consider it an odd name because a mostly black butterfly is called white:

As I neared the views of the summit, I passed a large patch of Fireweed. I was almost there:

Just around the next bend I saw the beautiful War Memorial Tower:

But first I walked over to the grassy viewing area where I'd had my first experience of Mount Greylock many decades ago:

The views were as I'd remembered them except that the first time there were colorful hang gliders drifting on air currents below the summit:

I walked among the wildflowers at the summit enjoying the view before I went inside the War Memorial Tower, but I'll post about that tomorrow: