August 11

Random Acts of Kindness

More cloudy, drizzly skies this morning.  No choice but to get back to that walking thing though.  New shoes had to get wet sooner or later.  We all left out of Cheshire at various times this morning.  I was walking alone for most of the morning, starting the long, slow slog up Mount Greylock.  Even in the less than ideal weather, the forest was beautiful.  Ferns lined much of the trail.  The forest began to host more and more spruce, fir, and hemlocks the higher I climbed.  The air smelled like a Christmas wreath.  We all eventually met up at the summit, and were greeted to a fogged out scene.  The wind was picking up.  Thunder overhead.  A cold rain began to fall.  We hurried over the Bascom Lodge to warm up and grab some lunch.  You can drive up the road to the top of the mountain.  It's a nice spot, for hikers, cross country skiers, and people who just want to enjoy the views.  A park employee told us that the weather center had just lifted a tornado warning for the area, but more severe thunderstorms would be coming through this afternoon.  Wow.  The observation tower was locked up due to the bad weather.  We headed back out into the storm, heading down the mountain, and got soaked.  Thunder overhead, lightning flashing.  The trail was a river.  We eventually sloshed our way down to a road crossing, and headed into North Adams, Mass.  We grabbed some resupply groceries at the Price Chopper.  While sitting outside of the store, sorting through our purchases, a lady came up to us.  She said that we shouldn't try to hike out of town in this weather, and that we could come to her house nearby for the night.  What?!  We could tent in the back yard, and come in the house if the storms decided to start up again.  And we could take showers, and do laundry.  Really?!  So of course we said yes.  Then she said, just wait right here and I'll be right back, I'll go in the store and grab some food for dinner.  We were blown away.  We got to the house, got cleaned up, warmed up, and fed.  Amazing.  We had an amazing night, meeting the family, and hanging out.  Thank you so much Megan!

A cold, wet day on Mt Greylock, Massachusetts.