The above image is a view of the Berkshire countryside from a vantage point close to the 3,491 foot summit of Mount Greylock, located in the state of Massachusetts.

Mount Greylock Reservation is one of my favorite locations in the Berkshires. The over 12,500 acres are managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and was first declared the state’s first state park in 1898. There are countless miles of trails to explore offering serene and peaceful hikes.

The environment near the summit resembles that of a Canadian boreal forest with its spruce-fir forests, short growing season and extreme winters. The reservation is one of the southernmost occurrences of this type of forest in North America. It is the home of many rare plants and animals not found in other locations within the state.

To live in this type of environment is one of the main reasons my wife and I moved to the Berkshires of Massachusetts. As children and young adults, we resided in a large Midwestern city with its congestion, noise and pollution though we craved the solace and peace of living in a rural setting.

My wife and I hiked to the summit a few years back before the repairs to the road leading to the top were completed. The 2 ½ hour hike was exhausting, even in the cool morning air of autumn due to the incline, rough terrain and the weight of my camera equipment. We were well rewarded once we reached the summit with the miraculous views that awaited us. I only wish we could have spent more time on our first visit though early evening was closing in with its colder temperatures and we still had a 2 hour hike back to the car.