Mount Greylock, MA, US Highpoint #8, 8 February 2004

Mount Greylock, Massachusetts lies at 3,491 feet MSL and is ranked #31 in elevation among US Highpoints. This was my 5th US Highpoint of 2004 and my second highpoint that I skied after Wy’East. Although there was a closed auto road to the summit, we chose to skin up through the woods on a hiking trail, which was quite delightful and likely my first time skiing in a deciduous forest. Things took a turn on the summit however when the cold and wind conspired to force us to seek desperate measures – we were low on energy, needed food, but we couldn’t find anywhere to get out of the wind and were rightfully afraid that our hands would freeze.

Then we saw it – a shelter. It was the solar toilet, but hey, it was clean, out of the wind, and therefore allowed us to warm up while eating a charcuterie lunch that “Nancy” thoughtfully prepared by using the toilet lid as a makeshift table. Following this we snapped the obligatory summit photos and then made survival turns all the way back to the car – Type 2 fun for sure, the east coast trees are very unforgiving! But we did it!

Yours truly and Teewinot on the top of Massachusetts in 2004.
It was much colder than it looks in this photo!
Mount Greylock, MA, from the southeast. The summit tower is plainly visible. If only the snow was good, there looks to be great skiing on the east face.
We had a gorgeous sunset. I remember thinking Massachusetts was gorgeous on this trip.

From here I would head to Mount Mansfield Vermont

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