Mohawk Trail- An Indian Wilderness
Our first visit to the Mohawk Trail, was in 2002. We went there to witness the much famed fall foliage. We drove up narrow mountain roads with a gurgling river on one side that followed us all the way up. On the other side were thick woods with trees whose leaves were various hues of red, brown, yellow and orange. The drive was scenic but it did not prepare us for what lay ahead. The route offered several look-out points with breathtaking views of the orange-hued Berkshire mountains. The most interesting of them was a tower atop an ice-cream shop, with a spectacular view of three states- New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts!
Our first stop was the Mohawk campground with the Deerfield River flowing through it. I looked at the river, now calm and flowing ever so gently over the smooth white pebbles and rocks. Some bright red maple leaves floated lazily over the water. The water of course was freezing on this October afternoon but it did not seem to deter this very determined fisher, up to his knees in the cold water! I remember the water was so inviting and we swore we’d visit again in the summer. Across the road was a handsome statue of a Mohawk Indian (feathers and all) with his arms outstretched, facing the sun. The inscription on the pedestal aptly read “Hail to the Sunrise”. The Mohawks were the tribe of Native Americans that formed this trail before cars or even horses made it to the New World. Much of this area is protected today as State Parks/ Forests. Some members of the tribe live in the Indian reservation.
After picking up a dream catcher at the souvenir store, we spent the night at a quaint bed and breakfast place called the “Old Willow”. We fell asleep to the sound of drums beating in the distance. We woke up at dawn and hastened to the look-out point to catch the sun over the mountains. The mountain tops were aglow. The sun’s rays lit up the top of the mountains and as the sun rose higher, the shadows were replaced with a fiery orange. All this over a background of pale orange sky offset with blue was a feast for the eyes. We drove up to Adams from here and passed a small waterfall (another surprise!) and touched a cloud. All in all it was a visually exhilarating trip and fall instantly became my favorite season of the year!
Five years and 2 kids later, we made another trip to this fabulous place- only this time in the summer. We drove to the Deerfield River where we spent an entire afternoon splashing around, sitting on rocks, catching baby fish and tadpoles with a net. One lucky guy caught a big perch! Some folks were floating down the river in tubes rented at a place upstream. Looked like a lot of fun, so we pledged to come again next summer! We ate a nice picnic lunch and the kids posed at the Mohawk Statue. We call it the “Hail to the Sunrise Pose”! We also managed to squeeze in a trip to the Shelburne falls. Once again a very satisfying trip.
So no matter what you have in mind, Mohawk trail has it all. There is something new to explore every time you go there! And while you're there don’t forget to pick up some maple syrup and moccasins.
Sounds like a great place to visit.