NN members saw gorgeous vistas while hiking the 7 Sisters. Photo by Pete Boats

Six of Northampton Neighbors’ fittest completed a hike of the 7 Sisters on October 31. They are regular participants of the NN Friday Challenging Hiking Group, organized by Bob Adams.

The 7 Sisters trail, so-called because there are seven peaks to traverse, runs along the ridge of the Holyoke Range. Views from the top include Hadley, the Connecticut River, Mt. Holyoke, and Mt. Tom. The group completed about four and a half miles, noted on hiking websites as “hard” or “challenging,” in a little over four hours, starting at “the Notch” Visitors Center and ending at NET trailhead on Old Mountain Road in Hadley. 

The very steep and rocky ascents and descents require muscles, joints, and a cardiovascular system in top shape—not to mention endurance and grit. Several were 7 Sisters veterans and regulars on the Appalachian and other major trails. 

With Bob leading the pack, the challengers were Tamar Shadur, Nina Wilder, Deborah Schifter, Ken Jodrie, and John Sears. Nina called it “a great hike, as are all the hikes organized by NN, and the beauty of fall colors was on full display.” Ken considers it “the best hiking close to town.” All warned that late fall might not be the best time to do the hike because of maximum leaf cover, a problem whether wet or dry because you can’t see the rocks, roots, or acorns beneath. But all came through unscathed. As Tamar, a happy finisher, put it: “It was a tough and long one for sure. Seeing the road at the end as we were descending the last ‘sister’ was like discovering an oasis in the dry and vast desert.”