A hiking we shall go!

And so we did! We set off on Friday afternoon heading west on Massachusetts Route 2, with tents, boys, and high expectations for a great weekend. We then took the road less travelled by, namely US 202, which wended its way south through small towns that sprang out of the woods like a surprise. Eventually we got to the bustling city of Westfield, and soon found our connection to 57, and headed ever closer to the Connecticut border, where Southwick, MA lies, nestled in rolling hills and small valleys, where tobacco plants spread their large leaves in small fields, and corn waved in the wind as we passed. We found our campground and Robbie and I spent the next hour pleasantly occupied setting up the boys' tent and then the adult tent. Lee kept the baby and Chet occupied, but eventually everyone was creeling for supper, so out came the Coleman stove and propane, and while the boys set up their sleeping bags, veggie burgers sizzled on the stove, while a big pot of water boiled for corn on the cob. What a great meal that was! Seasoned by hunger, to be sure, but yummy nonetheless.



The next day dawned chilly, but fortified by a good breakfast we headed out to our first Audubon Sanctuary, Arcadia. Lee went here as a child and has pleasant memories of the place. The folks who worked here were a delight, and the site was beautiful, bordered on one side by a small river and bog, and a great easy-to-walk-on trail system. The mosquito's nearly carried us off, but we fought free and had a great mini hike. The baby walked the entire hour we hiked! When we got back to the car, we had a conference, and decided since it was so early in the day that we would take the long route, head back north and west to the area around Lenox (which is near Stockbridge, where famed artist Norman Rockwell created his famed works) to hike a Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. Lee and I had been here once when Chet was 7 or 8, and remembered that they had a great trail system. WOW! It has certainly expanded over the last 12 years, and we had an excellent hike climbing up the side of a wee mountain.

We only went half way up as the trail was steep, and we did not have our baby backpack with us (it wouldn't fit in the van!) to safely trek up the rest of the way with a tired 2 year old. The older boys were deeply disapointed that we would not be heading for the top, and thus climbing the tower there, where the views ranged from the Catskills in New York, to Mount Graylock in far northwestern Massachusetts. Oh well, it gives us a reason to return to the area next summer!