Quote from Angela on May 31, 2022, 5:51 pm

Mount Greylock State Reservation is a sprawling Appalacian nature reserve which boasts the title of being the highest elevation point in Berkshire, Massachusetts.

Historically, prior to European arrival, the land was known as Mohawk Trail and was eventually transformed into Route 2. Throughout the late 18th century the trail was renamed as Saddleback Mountain in honor of a native Chief by the same name.

Sadly, a large portion of the landscape was decimated by forest fires. However, in 1933, the Civilian Conservation Core carried out substantial preservation work across the expanse. In 2008 the Parkway Rehabilitation Project expanded road systems and erected new viewing points.

Today the trail is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation. Roads to the summit are operational and is open seasonally with overnight accomodation available at the nearby Baskham Lodge.

This location is steeped in local legend and tales of creepy otherworldly phenomena.

Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts have reported mysterious UFO sightings, encounters with unrecognizable creatures and incidents of being pushed, touched and grabbed at by unseen hands.

Several informal investigations have yielded indecipherable and obscure dialects captured by way of EVP (electronic voice phenomena) recordings.

The most famous tale involves a local farmer named William Saunders. In 1861 Saunders bid farewell to his family and departed to fight in the Civil war. He was critically injured during battle.

With no line of communication, and after two years of silence, his wife presumed him to be dead. She went on with her life, taking care of their children, and was soon remarried.

In 1865 Saunders returned to his home to find his wife in the arms of another man and witnessed his children call that man their ‘father’.

Stricken with heartache, he ventured deep into the woods and built a shack, which he called home from thereon in. 

Sadly, a group of hunters stumbled across Saunders. He was severely deteriorating. They claim they watched in awe as a shadowy mass seeped from his lifeless form as he passed before their very eyes.

The ghost of Saunders is most commonly encountered scaling the surrounding mountains once darkness falls, still wearing his Union battle uniform, forever mourning the family he lost.