I almost didn't hike Greylock today. As some of you know, I hiked Bear Mountain yesterday, and that was after two months of pretty much no hiking, so I knew I'd be pretty darn sore. Plus, I hiked Greylock two years ago and found it underwhelming then, even having done an overnight at the lovely Sperry Road campground the night before and reached the summit on a clear day. (The campground is closed this season for renovations, by the way, so if you are doing Greylock as part of the Six-Pack this year just know you won't be able to stay there.) Most of the trails to Greylock's summit have road crossings along the route, which reminds you that the majority of people who get to the top of this mountain do so in their cars. Today? Totally overcast, sort of drizzly, muddy trails. I wasn't looking forward to it.

Did I mention I was really sore, too?

But, knowing that I was so close to Greylock and really ought to get in the other of the two “easy” New England Six Pack hikes as I reacclimate to hiking, I decided I'd go for it. And I'm glad I picked one of the shorter trails to the summit, because it gave me the opportunity to go for speed rather than endurance (“let's just get this over with”) and also ensured I wasn't totally destroying my body. Glad I did this. Several hours later, driving east, my calves and hamstrings felt like they were about to snap. Definitely going to give it at least a week before I try to up-level to the next Six Pack hike, which will unquestionably be much harder than either of this weekend's.

There were, as expected, no views from the summit at all — you couldn't even see the top of the radio tower. I have one regret: I should have brought a good book with me and enjoyed it by the fireplace at the summit lodge with a cup of tea. Would've been perfect for the chilly weather and a nice way to make the most of how weird it is that you can drive your car to the top of Greylock.