Archive for December, 2019

Sense of Place, Sheffield Massachusetts

Posted in Uncategorized on December 4, 2019 by arose

My parents are beginning to close in on their retirement. For the both of them, it was important that they left the chaos and ambition of the greater New York City area (Fairfield County CT is where I am originally from) for something more laid back. Their decided escape destination was the Berkshire Mountains in southwestern Massachusetts. So, about two years ago, my parents bought a house in Sheffield Massachusetts, which has a population of about 3,000 people.

When my parents first bought the house, I was fairly indifferent. I played mostly team sports, and moving to a more rural area meant less resources for things like team sports. I was reassured and reminded of the fact that we would be living directly opposite to a ski resort where I could snowboard 80 days a winter. With a little bit of time and a few changes within myself, I have come to love Sheffield. I stopped playing team sports and picked up more solo endeavors like climbing, fishing, snowboarding, cycling and hiking. Our house backs up to 1500 acres of nature preserve which is such a blessing. We have everything from deer, to black bears, to fisher cats, and being a wildlife biology major this is a delight.

The house also has some of the best bouldering in North America in its back yard. Locally this is well known but is kept quiet because most of the boulders are on private property. I just so happen to be fortunate enough to have some of those boulders in my backyard. This has made me develop into a strong and well equipped climber and I couldn’t be more grateful for that. The house is also close to some great fly fishing spots. The Housatonic River runs nearby and there are many ponds within walking distance.

To put it simply, this place is an outdoors mans paradise. It has connected me to the topography, geology, and hydrology of this place in a way that I have never had before. It is shaping me into a well rounded outdoorsman and is a great place to practice the skills that I may use in my future, larger endeavors. I have never felt so at home anywhere in my life.

Besides all of the natural aspects of this place, it is a place where all of my family can gather and rest our minds and bodies. I can have large groups of friends come and stay for ski and snowboard trips, without the stresses of Fairfield County. Sheffield has truly become a special place to me and this connection will only get deeper as I spend more time here. I also plan to start bow hunting next year, and I hope that that will connect me to this land in a completely new way. I am extremely grateful for everything that this place has given me and will hopefully given me in the future.

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