23 
of a mile to the Laneshoro-Pittsfield Road and thence two 
miles more to the siiinniit. At the junction of the paths 
at the Divide, the roads l)r;mch from either hand and 
encircle the crown of Grevlock. It does not make much 
difference which i)ath one takes from this |)oint exce])t 
that the ri-ht hand road, which is walled about, affords 
the more extensive view. Alon- this rc^ad one meets si-ns 
pointing,' to the path to The Slide. This is not an easy 
dcscentas the stairs are steep and of unusual hei-ht and 
there is no rtiil to aid one in the climb. Many students, 
however, make the ascent by way of this trail. Nature 
herself set this path by means of a cloud burst that be.i^an 
near the summit widening as it loosened the soil from the 
bed-rock in its rapid descent to the valley, ctn-cring the 
tarms in the vicinity with troublesome rock and loj^s. 
Farther on a path turns off to the riiiht leadin^Li: down to 
Bellows- Pipe comin*; out on the very ridge of pastureland 
in the extreme i)ortion of Xotch \ allcy. This is the trail 
beloved by Thoreau, which he took when leaving the 
\Vill)ur Farm on his route to Greylock. 
The North Adams Road is the most gradual of descent 
of all the drives to Greylock F^ark and winds adown the 
brow of Mount Fitch above the inner heart of Greylock, 
until it passes through dense forests of black spruce to the 
clearings of Wilbur Park where a trail may be found which 
leads westward to the highest peak of Mount Prospect. 
President Hitchcock once said of this prospect "We came 
to the steep margin of the mountain, and in a ma)ment ti;e 
beautiful valley and village of Williamstown burst like a 
bright vision upon the eye I have rarel_v, if ever 
experienced such a pleasing change from the emotion of 
beauty to that of sublimity as at this spot." 
Continuing the descent one wimis around the base of 
Mount Williams through the pastures to Walden's farm 
—and for him who walks it is most direct to the Citv— 
following near the borders of Notch Brook, through Snuff 
Hollow or Crow's Nest. This stream, however, soon 
