In late August, I decided to go on a hike on a portion of the Appalachian Trail with some friends to the top of Bear Mountain in Salisbury, Connecticut. It is the highest peak in the state. My friends had not hiked any part of the Appalachian Trail before, and one of them had never gone on such a tough hike so away we went. Now, this may not be a tough hike for everyone, but believe me when I say, there were quite a few times I was having second, third, fourth, and fifth thoughts...and I've hiked this mountain two times previously, so you'd think I knew what I was in for!

Anyway, after a couple hours, and five minutes of hiking part of the trail that cut into Massachusetts, and a very close run-in with a copperhead snake (although rarely fatal, the bite can be extremely painful and do some serious damage), we reached the peak of the mountain. Phew! I was beyond exhausted from the hike. Thankfully, it was a gorgeous day outside, and with the strong wind blowing, I quickly cooled off.

As you can see from the photos, the sky was incredible that day, as well as the view.

I think that a lot of people would be surprised that you do not need to leave Connecticut in order to get great views of nature. However, there is no road leading up to this view, so you need to work up a sweat...or two... in order to get to this vista. But as anyone who enjoys hiking will confirm, the struggle makes the view all the more amazing. It really helps you appreciate the view, knowing that people cannot just hop into a car and cruise up there on a whim.

Note to self: Do some more hiking in preparation for the next time you attempt this.

Over the summer, my uncle invited me up to go camping in Otis, Massachusetts. Being New England, a trip through Massachusetts was not complete without some photos of a white church.

A couple weeks later, a friend invited me to go camping in Ellenville, New York. As I was heading home, I had to drive up a steep mountain in the Catskills and pulled over to a vista that overlooked the town.

I couldn't resist taking a couple photos of my Durango while I was stopped.