“The life you didn’t necessarily plan for is becoming quite beautiful on you.”
Rachel Macy Stafford
I’ve shared a bit about this past year on Instagram, but it took me a little while to gather up all the backscatter and pull my thoughts together. I didn’t make a ton of goals at the beginning of 2021. Other than one or two, the main intention was to keep pulling on the loose thread that is Berkshire Family Hikes and see how and where it unraveled. And we watched that cord grow considerably this year through connection, community, and collaboration.
The Growth
- Organized two successful trail clean-ups for The Pines in Dalton.
- Wrote five articles published in Berkshire Magazine, including one feature. (I had a byline, y’all!)
- Partnered with South Berkshire Kids to run bi-monthly child-led hikes from May to October.
- Took over as publisher of Berkshires Macaroni Kid,
- Partnered with Berkshire Natural Resources Council on a variety of community hiking events and activities, including the opportunity to design our very own interactive & explorative hike.
- Began consulting with BNRC on an Accessible Trails Initiative.
- Honored to participate in the 2021 Fall Housatonic Heritage Hike Series.
- Hiked in two different states, despite the pandemic!
- Met so many incredible kids and families on group hikes.
- Bridged beautiful connections with so many others – both virtually and in-person – doing meaningful work in this space.
We didn’t set a specific number of hikes this year and that lack of pressure helped get us outdoors without the added worry of hitting a target. We did some challenging hikes, revisited some old favorites and experienced some of those trails in seasons we’d never experienced before. Overall, a lot of wins for 2021.
But we also had some goals fall off the proverbial map, as goals tend to do.
The Fails
- We never got around to revamping the website (it’s not that bad, right?)
- Our “To Hike” list is longer than ever (somehow that feels like a win 🤔)
- and the book…The.Book.
So as we barrel headfirst into 2022, the big question I’m asking is, “What do I want to create for myself and my community this year?” I have some of the answers (THE BOOK!), but not all, so in the meantime, I’ll just be tugging away, following this thing wherever it leads. I hope you’ll keep following along with us!
Stay in motion,
Taylor
Keep scrolling to see some of our favorite hikes from 2021!
Family
Favorite
The Pines
Dalton, MA
Waterfall
Highlight
Sanderson Brook Falls
Chester, MA
Biggest
Challenge
North Mountain Pond
Dalton, MA
Winter
Cheshire Cobbles
Cheshire, MA
Spring
Hawley Bog
Hawley, MA
Summer
Gould Meadows
Lenox, MA
Fall
October Mountain
Becket/Lee/Washington, MA
Beyond the
Berkshires
Great Falls National Park
Mclean, VA
Wildlife
Sighting
The Boulders Reserve
Dalton, MA
Most
Memorable
Mount Equinox
Sunderland, VT
Follow along on our adventures on Instagram & Facebook!
Featured image was taken by Atlantic Northeast Company
I love how you organized the photos at the end of your posts by category, Taylor! I’m a new follower via Facebook and have really been enjoying the work you put into documenting and organizing hikes in the Berkshires. Cheers to time spent in the woods in any capacity in 2022!
Thank you so much, Sarah! That means a lot to me ♥️ Agreed! Here’s to more time outdoors!