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Conquering Moby Dick

by Brian on July 20, 2010 in Massachusetts

View from Stony Ledge

“All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby-Dick. He piled upon the whale’s white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart’s shell upon it.”

– Herman Melville, Moby Dick

My, oh-my, Melville must have hated Mount Greylock to have written such vitriol.* For it is rumored that the snow-covered profile of this gently sloping mountain peak provided the inspiration for his leviathan, Moby Dick. From a distance, and with enough psychotropics, you can definitely imagine the mountain as the hump of a great whale breaching the surrounding granite waves. But our objective today wasn’t to view it from a distance, it was to summit Massachusetts’ tallest peak.

Mt. Greylock as seen from Herman Melville's house

That certainly sounds impressive, and it might have been, if only we had taken the nine or so hours needed to hike the entirety of it. But we were short on time and ambition today so we packed a lunch and drove to the 3,491 foot peak. From the summit you can see several mountain ranges (the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Green Mountains) depending on which direction you look.

Stony Ledge Trail

While Greylock’s vista is admirable, the better view, in our opinion, is from the lower summit of Stony Ledge. Some 900 feet beneath its larger sister, Stony Ledge gives an excellent view of Greylock, as well as the undeveloped valley on its western slope. The hike to the ledge would have been fairly easy, but the wide trail just begged to be tackled via mountain bike, which proved to be harder than we expected. The entire trip is a hill, halfway up, and halfway down. Going down is loads of fun, but biking a mile or so straight up kicked the asses of a couple of fatties like us. Good thing we got back early enough for a nap.

(* This will wind Shannon up good, because Melville loved Mount Greylock. Heh, heh, heh, heh.)

Cool Mountain Air

by Brian on July 19, 2010 in Massachusetts

Mr. Heatmiser

The nightly news keeps saying we’re still in the middle of a heat wave, but you wouldn’t know it from Lanesborough, MA. It’s 61 degrees here as I type and it isn’t supposed to get much above 80 all week. When the sun ducked behind clouds yesterday it actually felt a little chilly. Maybe it’s the higher elevation (1,130 ft) or because we’re in a valley between Mount Greylock to the north and Brodie Mountain to the south. I don’t know, but whatever the reason, it’s pretty great.

Longer Hose Wanted

by Brian on July 16, 2010 in Massachusetts

Our sewer hose (bottom right), stretched to the limit

We arrived safely in Massachusetts basically on schedule, a few wrong turns aside. The rig leveled successfully, which was never a problem, but whether we’ll be able to un-level it, remains to be seen. It could be that our leveling jacks are now a permanent foundation. So if anyone wants to see us, we’re in Lanesborough, MA, possibly for the foreseeable future.

Set-up took longer than usual today. When entering our campsite Shannon helpfully pointed out that my hose wasn’t quite long enough to reach the desired spot. So I had to pull out, and back in, and out, and in, many more times than either of us wanted. But once started, you have to see the job through to completion, or else everyone just ends up cranky. Through persistence, and no small measure of skill on my part, we eventually got things situated to everyone’s satisfaction. But life would be much easier if only I had a longer hose. So I’m off to see if I can find an extension.

When Lawnmowers Fly

by Brian on July 5, 2010 in Connecticut

Sadly, I am not the one flying this contraption. No, we were picnicking in Gillette Castle State Park when we saw this unknown aviator take off from the other side of the Connecticut River. He circled a few times and then flew off to destinations unknown.

My only question is: where do I get one?

Exploring Exeter

by Brian on July 1, 2010 in New Hampshire

Squamscott River along Swasey Parkway, Exeter, New Hampshire

Exeter, New Hampshire, is a worthy stop to while away an afternoon. Browse the downtown boutiques, take a book to the excellent Swasey Park (as we did), or kayak the calm Squamscott River.