Amanda and I checked off another trail loop in our quest to climb Greylock from every trail. This time we went up the Bellows Pipe Trail and came down via the AT and Bernard Farm Trail trail. Overall, it was somewhere between 8.5 and 9 miles. There's always a discrepancy between the scale on my map and the mileage on the trail signs.
The Bellows Pipe walks you up a valley on the Northeastern side of the mountain. The pitch is pretty low, so it's very easy to enjoy the trees and ferns. You get most of your elevation gain at the end of the trail before you hop onto the ridge to pick up the AT. It was very enjoyable until the last part.
At the top, the summit was socked in with low clouds but we got glimpses of nearby Adams. As we ate lunch, the clouds swirled more and more. It was mesmerizing. Then just like that, the clouds moved on and we got a full view of Adams.
Clearing became the theme of the day for me. It started with a clearing of green I noticed way off trail. I loved how the light fell to illuminate the forest floor, while parts of tree trunks were still in shadow. Some careful footwork got me safely up to a spot without trampling any of the plants. I managed to photograph it before the light changed and made my way back to the trail. I was welcomed back by a Winter Wren singing nearby.
Later on, we waited for the sky to clear. I've been to the top where that simply doesn't happen. This time a hole in the clouds formed as the clouds broke apart. I've seen that view many times, but never like that. I managed to sneak a photo of it before it disappeared.