RRR Brooks Trail/ Shepherds Well/ Taconic Crest Trail to Smith Hill(Town of Williamstown-Berkshires/ Taconics)

Headed over to the Taconic ridge along the NY/ Massachusetts state line to check out the fall foliage on what was forecast to be a slowly improving weather day.  I parked on the Williamstown, Massachusetts side of Route 2 at the Sara Tenney Trailhead(Elevation 1560 feet) and set out, heading northwest on the RRR Brooks Trail, which hugs Route 2 as it climbs.

A thick fog hung over the woods behind the slowly departing system from earlier in the morning.  I actually enjoyed the eerie setting, as it really set a nice mood for my hike.

After about a mile and just over 1900 feet of elevation, the trail splits and I took the Shepherds Well Trail, which climbs steadily up towards a viewpoint on the ridge.  Unfortunately, an extremely thick fog and low clouds obscured any kind of view.  The red blueberry bushes were very nice however!

After just over another mile, the Shepherds Well Trail meets up with Taconic Crest Trail, high up on the ridge.  At nearly 2300 feet now, the trail was quite damp and shrouded in even more fog.

I continued north on the Taconic Crest Trail for about 3/10 of a mile before leaving the trail and heading up to Smith Hill's 2330 foot summit through a golden fern meadow.

 

As expected, the high spot was completely fogged in.  It is a very nice, large meadow though-that I think would provide okay views on a clear day.

After enjoying a quick snack in the thick fog on Smith Hill's summit, I dropped back down to the Taconic Crest Trail through open hardwoods, where I began to retrace my steps south.

As I arrived back on the Shepherds Well Trail, I began to notice a subtle clearing of the fog.  It didn't seem like much at first, but it was definitely fading away.

Arriving back in the view spot, I was very happy to see the fog finally burning off and allowing for my first good views of the day.  A nice look down at Route 2 as it climbs up to Petersburg Pass.

Fall foliage on full display, with blue skies way off in the distance.  Mount Raimer's summit(left) was still clinging to a dense fog.

Looking south down the Taconic Ridge, with Raimer in the foreground and Berlin Mountain in the distance.

An amazing spot to absorb the views into Berkshire County.  The blueberry bushes were ablaze in color as were the surrounding peaks. 

Skies finally clearing enough to reveal Mount Raimer's summit.

I hung out for quite a while in this spot, hoping for some of the clouds to burn off.  Met another nice hiker here, who was up there with her dog, and also hoping for additional clearing.  We were lucky to get these amazing views over Williamstown and towards the cloud capped Greylock Range.  Brodie Mountain's long ridge can be seen on the right.

Finally headed back down after a while, dropping down through the gorgeous autumn woods.

Got back to the car as the skies continue to clear out but I didn't mind...it was a great day in the woods.  A total of 5 miles RT, and over 1000 feet of combined ascent.