At the beginning of our adventure to East Peak, I was not pleased with the fact that we were going on a hike so early in the morning. There was no parking lot so we made signs that said " Journalists at work" to place inside of our cars. No one wanted to get their cars towed while away! Author Christine Woodside then met us and led the group towards the trail we were going to follow. She explained that the marks on the trees signified a trail was present, we took a trail marked with a blue blaze, known as the Metacomet trail. The trail was fairly challenging, especially for someone who has never hiked before. It was about a mile or so stretch of rocks and forest, with a scenic outcrop near the top. We stopped at the scenic outcrop for a couple of minutes to rest. It offered a great view of Merimere Reservoir and Mine Island. After, the group continued on to the top of the trail where we encountered Castle Craig, which is just over 1,000 feet above sea level and provides a clear view of Sleeping Giant off in the distance. It was so beautiful up there, the group took lots of still shots and conducted a brief interview with Christine. In the interview, she told us about the "legend of the black dog." Legend has it that the first time you see the dog, it's good luck; the second time, it's bad luck and the third time results in death! Literally a few minutes after hearing the legend we spotted a black dog standing next to its owner. Naturally, we all freaked out and documented the pet playing. It was then time to make our way back down the trail. I must admit, the trip down was much easier than it was on the way up, probably because we hiked down the road with Christine. When we got back to our vehicles (that were still there) we saw two more black dogs . This pushed us over the limit according to the myth but luckily we made it out of there alive and safe. It was a great day! - Stephanie Merkel