S is for Summit!

We took Grafton out for a hike on the Skinner State Park trails, with the hope of reaching the Summit House on Mt. Holyoke. This was a low probability outcome, considering our past hiking experiences with him. He's being doing much better on hikes lately, but the last time we were out on these trails we only made it about a third of the way up. So dad brought the backpack along, just in case Grafton did not cooperate. But our little guy pushed all the way to the top, without complaint! We held his hands most of the way up, but he did all the "heavy lifting", stepping up the trail over big rocks and roots. He was propelled in part, by the reward of seeing the Summit House, which we told him all about as we headed up the trail: how it had been used as a hotel and resort many decades ago, and more recently, how it was a museum, and finally how it will reopen next year after being closed for the past few seasons. We were both very proud of our little guy and we could tell he was quite proud of himself as well! As it was getting rather blustery and cold at the top, we decided (with his complete approval) to head down with him in the pack. We treated ourselves to a nice lunch at Barstows, which included hot chocolate and an assortment of mini-cupcakes. And while we were eating it started snowing--big heavy flakes. We could tell the storm was coming, having seen a hundred or more birds sitting up high in a tree nearby, tweeting about the impending weather change. We drove home in thick snow (though, not yet sticking), and predictably, with his tired legs and a full belly, Grafton feel into a deep sleep. He didn't wake up at all, as we brought in him inside the house.

Two-thirds of the way to the summit--and "Little Guy" (see hat) was still going strong.