These Girl Scout Juniors Took on Mt. Greylock with Girl Scouts Love State Parks
At the summit of MA’s highest peak, they learned about the Appalachian Trail, backpacking essentials, and the challenges faced by thru-hikers. Their adventure sparked a big goal: section-hiking the 80 miles of the AT that cross our state, one manageable step at a time.
These Girl Scout Juniors attended Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend event at the summit of Mt. Greylock. From a DCR park interpreter they learned about the Appalachian Trail, about some of the challenges that through-hikers face, and how to packing for backpacking differs from day-hiking.
They explored the area around the summit and then climbed the War Memorial Tower, taking in the long views in every direction. Some families from this troop intend to section hike the 80 miles of the AT that run through our beautiful state, and this Girl Scout Love State Parks session served as a useful and motivating starting point!
By doing two 4-5 mile hikes every year they should be able to complete the challenge by the time these girls graduate from high school…just in time to make good use of life lessons they hopefully will have learned in completing those 80 miles (lessons like ‘big tasks aren’t as overwhelming if we break them down into smaller, manageable bits’, ‘good planning is worth the effort’, ‘when there’s fun to be had, invite friends along’ and ‘every difficult journey starts with a single step’).
September 19, 2025
