Traversing the Seven Sisters...with Two Sisters

A long, strange Western Mass. trip

Every state deserves a traverse—that is to say, a long-distance hiking route that’s roly-poly and scenic enough to be considered an alluring ordeal. New Hampshire has the Presidential Range. Maine has Mount Bigelow (which is basically its own mountain range.) And of course, Vermont has the Long Trail, which runs a whopping 273 miles along the spine of the Green Mountains. But for reasons that I didn’t grasp until last summer, the definitive Massachusetts traverse is overlooked and not often cited in the same conversations as these other juggernauts. It’s hidden in the Pioneer Valley, where the Connecticut River runs south past Springfield and Northampton, and it’s routinely overshadowed by the nearby Berkshires hiking destinations. At 5.5 miles, it might not sound like much of a traverse, but here’s the kicker: within those 5.5 miles, hikers attempting the traverse summit 10 interconnected peaks in one grueling day!

Moss people: I’d like you to meet The Seven Sisters.