1:45 PM - Woke up early and drove to Emma's house today. We'd orginally planned for a bike trip on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, but it was low to mid 40s and windy. Actually encountered snow on the hour and a half drive to her house too coming over the mountains into Massachusetts. We ended up chilling at her house for a while. I got to see Rose and little baby Beaner Jane and Rose's dad whom I'd only met once before. Was nice to just sit with a coffee and forget about the hectic stuff that is all coming due this week or next week. Actually spent the better part of an hour talking about the New York and American Education Systems as well as North Korea's recent firing of a missile that morning, part of which fell into the ocean to the west of Japan. They claimed they were launching a satellite, but the U.S. had been monitoring it and no satellite appears to have actually been launched into orbit.
Around lunch time the sun was just starting to peak out of the clouds so we jumped in Emma's car and drove to Monument Mountain. This was the first time since "the Big Day" that we'd been back, and by the time we got there a bunch of other people must have had the same idea, because there were a half dozen cars at the bottom of the trail. We got out and started hiking, and it was simply gorgeous. Could hear the birds chirping, the chipmunks and squirrels chatting, and the wind rustling through the treetops. When we got up to the top we just sat there on the rocks looking out over everything. We watched a group of hawks for what seemed like forever - watching them float effortlessly in the wind, swooping around the precipices and overlooks, coming almost within reach. Emma sunned herself on the rock like a lizard. There was another couple up at the top with a dog and he kept running off.
Afterwards, we hiked back down the other side of the mountain. I was actually kind of sad that we had to leave the mountain, though on our way down we raced each other to "our spot" where I proposed in October. I think Emmy won! When we got there, we just sat on the rocks looking down the cliff, and just took it all in. We noticed the hawks were back, and I actually got the hawks on camcorder. Maybe it's just me but I consider this a meaningful vision: was videotaping two hawks swooping in circles in the cavern, and the two of them flew by each other and then came together, landing next to each other on a tall promitory in the middle of the cliff. It was truly an awesome site :)!
We hiked back to the car and then drove to Great Barrington and stopped at Uncommon Grounds coffee shop, only it wasn't the run of the mill Uncommon Grounds like the corporate one with the same name across from Borders in Saratoga. This one was awesome. It was totally organic, totally hippie, and totally cool! My dream coffee shop! Whenever I'm in Great Barrington again I'm stopping in there! They even have a cool yard for kids to play out back next to the river! After getting a coffee Emmy and I went to our favorite Indian restaurant in Pittsfield, House of India!
Total Time: ~2 hours Total Distance: 3.0 miles
Looking off of Monument almost at the Summit. The pond looks like a map of the USA!
Rocks at the summit in the sunshine.
I found a mountain goat! Though this one was surprisingly much cuter than most you encounter at this elevation! | 
