Road trip to Great Barrington to a monument and a landmark

Last Sunday, feeling the need for a girls day, a friend and I drove over to Massachusetts to do a little holiday weekend shopping at a favorite dispensary and take a hike. Although the weather was not quite what had been promised, we still had a great afternoon and I can finally say that I’ve hiked at least some of Monument Mountain.

Have you?

For the first hike of the season, I wasn’t looking for anything too aggressive. Instead I was hoping for a walk in the woods with a view. We definitely got that, but along the way there were a few interesting spots that demanded a bit more attention than I had anticipated. I’m not talking really challenging trails, just some areas that involved a bit of rock clambering along with a certain vigilance with regards to where one’s feet landed.

It was great!

In terms of greenery, there wasn’t much happening quite yet but there were ferns which delighted me with their Chia pet appearance as they cascaded over boulders. There were also a few varieties of lichen which attracted me with their unexpected beauty and a few patches of trailing Arbus popping up. The mud wasn’t too awful, but there were a few sections of trail that were leaning to the quagmire side of things. No worries with waterproof footwear, but leave your canvas kicks at home at this time of the year.

After our hike (we did the yellow Hickey trail to the red Peeskawso Peak to the blue Mohican Mountain trail as a loop), we were feeling a bit hungry and I knew just where I wanted to go – Guido’s Market.

It’s probably been 20 years since I last shopped at Guido’s but I won’t be letting that much time between visits occur again. This place is incredible! From the moment I walked in the door, I was in awe of all of the available options – the baked goods, cheese selection and bulk items alone make the trip worthwhile. It’s just an awesome store filled with both basic and indulgent produce, meats, fish and dairy.

Now, I’m not one to fangirl over a grocery store and feel little excitement over the recent news that Trader Joe’s is opening a location in Glenmont, but Guido’s is different. Maybe it’s its origin as a roadside produce stand or the fact that they’ve been doing their thing for more than 40 years, but it never feels fussy or trendy. Instead, despite all the artfully casual shoppers, it lands with me as comfortable and approachable.

I could spend hours there.

To satisfy my hunger until Sunday dinner at Nicole’s, I got myself a small bowl of soup from the hot bar and enjoyed it with some bread and bleu cheese my hiking friend had purchased. I took home some ginger-lemon cookies, a bottle of good Italian olive oil from the bulk section, a cheese that enticed me with its almost oozing softness, chive biscuits and a bunch of gorgeous spinach. I can’t wait to go back again!

We are so lucky to live in an area rich in both outdoor activities and small independent businesses. There’s always something to do or see and I’m game to experience as much of it as I can manage.

Where have you been lately? Feel free to share in a comment.