What to do at the Radding reunion

Down toward to bottom of this blog is a preliminary schedule for the Radding reunion. Most of the action, it appears, is happening on Friday and Saturday afternoon and evening. The inn also is a mini-resort in itself, so it has stuff to do. What else is there to do? Lots.

If you are not familiar with the area, there is much in the Berkshires generally near where our inn is located. We live in the Boston area and like to hike in the Berkshires. So, here are a couple of short hikes we like (although climbing is sometimes involved).

My all time favorite in this area is Monument Mountain in Great Barrington. You will probably drive past it if you come via the Mass Pike. The hike to the summit is about 1.6 miles and involves a 1600’ elevation gain. The hike up takes Eva and me about 1.5 hours (coming down is always faster). The reward, besides beautiful views, is wild blueberries. Early August is peak blueberry season and the wild blueberries are ripe and easy picking. They grow among the rocks on the summit and high ledges. Enjoy! Just make sure to leave some for the animals too.

Another favorite is Bash-Bish Falls (that's right, not bish-bash as you might expect). There is an easy path to the base of the falls, a great place for sitting out on the rocks or wading. The water is cold. I like to follow the trail up the gorge to the top of the falls. This isn’t a terribly long trail, less than one mile, but it can get pretty steep.

These two trails are reasonably near to the Inn. Somewhat farther afield is Mt. Greylock, the tallest mountain in Massachusetts, which, at 3110’, admittedly isn’t saying much. There are many trails in the Greylock reservation. The Roaring Brook Trail is the shortest route to the summit and is moderately steep. Between the drive from the inn and the hike itself, this pretty much constitutes a full day trip.

If you just want great views of Mt. Greylock without the work of a climb try the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, which starts right off Rt. 8 at the Berkshire Mall in Lanesboro. This trail is wide, generally flat, and paved. An easy stroll. Walk as far as you like until you get tired of the view and then double back. The trail runs along water so the views across the water with Greylock in the background really are beautiful.

Between what’s available at the inn and the Radding reunion events—don’t miss the genealogy stuff on Saturday, 2pm—this should keep you pretty busy. If you want to stroll around cute towns filled with the typical Yuppie candle and sandal shops you can also visit Stockbridge, Lenox, and Great Barrington.

My choice: Monument Mt. on Fri. or Sat. morning, which will get me back in time for the genealogy stuff. If you have other suggestions, please add them as comments.

Raddings near and far

Reunion is attracting Raddings from near and far

Here is the latest list of locations where Raddings are coming from for the reunion:

Davis, CA
New York, NY
Saratoga, CA
Hamden, CT
Seattle, WA
Maplewood, NJ
Newton Highlands, MA
Louisville, KY
Grass Valley, CA
Baltimore, MD
Sharon, MA
Longmeadow, MA
Carmel, Indiana
West Springfield, MA
Williston, VT
Portland, ME
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Keego Harbor, Michigan
Los Gatos, CA
Syracuse, NY
Woodbridge VA

And remember how we were looking for living descendents of Moses Radding? Well, Cathy and Pearl tracked one down—Alan Kaliski, step-grandson of Moses Radding. He lives in Charlotte, NC.