North Adams, MA (USA)

We got up early and the weather was AWESOME! Clear and about 50 degrees with gentle breeze - perfect for hiking. We ate breakfast at Friendly’s in Pittsfield (done at 0805) and then drove to North Adams (via MA-8) to meet our shuttle driver, Vic, at his house in Clarksburg. The views of the Berkshires - in every direction were spectacular. We left our car with Vic and he drove us north on MA-8 into Vermont (became VT-100). He turned on Mill Road and we followed the gravel until we were on County Road. The going got tougher but Vic said the road conditions had been much worse a month ago. He dropped us at the AT Trailhead at about 0930 and we immediately headed SOBO, bound for the Bay State! Bob set the pace and we carefully made our way through muddy areas on the VT side. Somehow, we completely missed the Seth Warner Shelter... We encountered 9 other hikers north of the border - most appeared to be section hikers, like us. After about three miles, we reached signs that welcomed us to Massachusetts and the terminus of the Long Trail. We met a couple guys (and their dog) who were just starting a thru hike of that trail and we talked to them for a bit. Bob and I then signed the trail register and continued south towards Williamstown. On the ridge, were a couple of good views of Mount Greylock and the valley below. However, most of the rest of our walk in the woods was downhill. There was less mud, so that was good, but there were some varsity boulder fields. During the last half of the hike, we met 8 more hikers, including “Barton” (a Thru hiker who started north on March 5 - wow!) and a 2018 Thru hiker who’d had to go back to work to afford the last 800 miles in 2019. The trail paralleled a large stream that had lots of signs that told us not to “mess with the town’s water supply”. After about five hours of hiking, we reached Massachusetts Avenue and called Vic to let him know we were almost at MA-2. We walked along the road and then cut across the railroad tracks and Hoosic River to the meeting point. From there, I could see the Greylock Club, where I’d parked with my brother in law for my last hike up the mountain (2014). Vic got us back to Bob’s car by 1500 and we talked with him and his wife (Jean) for a while before we drove back to Pittsfield. We couldn’t have picked a better day to hike! Ate a nice dinner at Patrick's Pub in Pittsfield (finished at 1845) and then Bob played Pokemon. Spent the night in Heart of the Berkshires again and spent the rest of the night reading and watching TV. Planning another shuttle & more AT (Mount Greylock Summit to Cheshire) tomorrow! AT Today = 7.20 miles / G.T. AT = 1392.52 miles