Birthday is always an incentive to find something "special" as a challenge. For this year -- set a new daily climbing record, and a new PR climbing Mount Greylock, the tallest mountain in Massachusetts. Doing both required, not one but two trips up. While I had done the northern approach up from North Adams and Williamstown before, I had never done the southern approach from Lanesborough.
With the companionship of Alex, who has accompanied me on multiplesimilarexcursions, we sent off to find "5 shades of Grey": up, down, around, up, and down. This let us tackle: the classic climb (an annual race), the southern descent, a fun 40 mile loop around the mountain (loved the leg up the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail -- highly recommended), second ascent, and down the mountain to home.
Well -- we set our PR and our daily climbing record. Defying gravity for another year. Alex, who rides with hard cores, reported that his buds were duly impressed with his 2x Grey accomplishment.
