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The Berkshire Backroads Gravel Grinder (B2G2) – 4.24.21
My first official gravel grinder of 2021 is in the books! On Saturday, I rode the Berkshire Backroads Gravel Grinder in West Stockbridge, MA! A 38-mile ride with lots of vert was the perfect opportunity to test out my “new” bike setup. The weather was also ahhhh-mazing. We had the most perfect day for a ride! The ride was scheduled to start at noon, however, they offered an early 10:30am start to slower riders (yes, please!) I met my friends Margaret and Jeff there, and off we went. I’ll admit I was a bit nervous before this ride. BikeReg stated there’d be over 3500 ft of climbing, which I haven’t…
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Snowshoeing Berlin Mountain, Taconic Crest Trail – 2.6.2021
Looking to explore something different? Check out the Taconic Crest Trail. Located on the border of NY and MA, the Taconic Crest Trail is only 45 minutes outside of Albany. It is not an area I have explored very much but hope to do more hiking here soon! The Taconic Crest Trail is a 37 mile long hiking trail that winds through NY, VT and MA with some gorgeous views along the way. Last weekend, Jordan and I met our friend at the Berlin trailhead to do some snowshoeing, while our friend was planning on backcountry skiing. We hiked up the side of the mountain, following skin tracks (not an…
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Hiking Alander Mountain in the Berkshires
On Monday, Margaret and I hiked Alander Mountain in the Berkshires, a nice little hike about an hour from Albany. I have never hiked in the Berkshires and was excited to try something new! The trailhead is located in South Egremont, Massachusettes in Mt Washington State Forest. The first few miles were a nice walk along gently rolling terrain. There was slick ice underneath a few inches of new snow, which made wearing microspikes necessary! Unfortunately, the snow was very soft and packable, which caused it to ball up under our microspikes. Not comfortable! The trail gets slightly steep after a few miles, but nothing too terrible! After about an…
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Steel Rail Half Marathon
Sunday morning Jordan and I drove over to Lanesborough, Massachusetts for the Steel Rail Half Marathon. I had wanted to run this race last year but didn’t get a chance to, so I signed up this year. It is advertised as being flat and fast since it’s on a paved rail trail that runs from Lanesborough to Adams, Massachusetts with views of the Berkshire Mountains. There is also a free beer from Berkshire Brewing Company waiting at the finish! [source] The race started at 9:30 so we didn’t have to get up at an ungodly hour to drive the morning of. It was about an hour drive from Troy and…