Thursday Hikers

Onward and Upward we went! A rise of 1106 feet on rocky basalt trails. It was quite splendid and very wonderful and I feel like I really accomplished something today. We were inspired by the thought of reaching the “Horse Caves” made famous after the failed attempt of Shays Rebellion in 1786 when returning Revolutionary War soldiers came home to resentment of and inability to pay taxes on their farms. Much farmland was confiscated. Shay and his men unsuccessfully stormed the Springfield Armory and then escaped to Norwottuck Mountain where it is said they hid their horses in the “Horse Caves”. Some feat that must have been!!! The views on the top were gorgeous. I’ve also included a close up photo of a basalt rock – a lava rock! – that breaks off and makes for “interesting” challenges on the trails. And a photo of the Horse Caves and lots of other rocks:) When we encountered “The Chimney”, a very narrow, steeply descending passage that was very tricky (and fun) but that our good dog Baxter simply refused to navigate. He was trembling with fear and even with our best efforts, Gwen went back up and took him on a different trail and met back up with us later. It was a long and amazing day, followed by lunch at Atkins Farm Market where I had a seafood salad sandwich, lemon iced tea, and a kid size soft ice cream cone!! Summer sure is wonderful! Love, Penny