Annual Hike Honors Melville and Hawthorne
STOCKBRIDGE - To celebrate the anniversary of what is termed “the most important picnic in American literary history,” hikers are invited to assemble at the Route 7 Monument Mountain parking lot of (3 miles south of Stockbridge) by 9:30 a.m. on August 3.Gordon Hyatt will host the event on behalf of the Berkshire Historical Society (with headquarters at Melville’s former home, “Arrowhead,” on Holmes Road, Pittsfield) and the Trustees of Reservations, who own and maintain the mountain itself.
The two authors were invited to climb the mountain on August 5, 1850, their first meeting. This outing led to an strong friendship between the two authors—an occasion recorded by several other participants.
Hyatt, who has been leading the walk for over the past 15 years, will give a short talk on the original event and then be joined by Arthur Collins, retired Professor of English at SUNY Albany. Dr. Collins will read the opening section of William Cullen Bryant’s “Monument Mountain,” the same poem read on the original occasion. A participant in the hike with a strong voice will be invited to read the concluding portion in which Bryant, one of America’s first romantic poets, established the legend of the Indian maiden who perished on the heights.
A champagne toast to the two authors will conclude the event—followed, of course, by a descent from the rocky summit.
Participants will be offered information on joining the Berkshire Historical Society and the Trustees of Reservations—as well as a chance to purchase Aspects of Melville, the book of essays celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the publication of Melville’s masterpiece, Moby-Dick, which he dedicated to Hawthorne as a result of the friendship that began on Monument Mountain.
For more information, call the Berkshire Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead 413-442-1793 ext. 11.
