Driver8
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Mt. Tom, with its subsidiary peaks Deadtop and Whiting forming a good part of the town line between Holyoke and Easthampton, Mass., is probably the most popular hike in the Happy Valley, exceeded possibly by Mt. Holyoke. It is, to my view, by a good margin the most spectacular hike in the lower Connecticut River Valley. It's becoming an April tradition for me to do a traverse of, at least, Mt. Tom (1203', give or take, with 1100'-ish feet of prominence) and its two highest subsidiary peaks, Deadtop (1150' or so) and Whiting Peak (1050' or so). Last year, with ample time, I did a full Mt. Tom Range traverse to Mt. Nonotuck. This year, on Saturday 4/27, more constrained in time, I did the three highest peaks and the roadwalk back under the dramatic cliffs. About 5 miles in just over three hours, taking into account lots of viewing and shutterbugging.
The plan was to ascend the steep, southerly route, parking near the Log Cabin just on the Holyoke side of the town line on Rt. 141. From here, including a quarter mile warm up gaining 100', you ascend about 625' in half a mile of basalt, much of it broken scree. The payoff is ever-widening views to Springfield, Hartford and neighboring hills and dales on a clear day, which this was, and dramatic 180+ degree views from south to northeast as you walk about two miles along the top of cliffs ranging from 200-500' high.
Here are a few pics from the climb:
About 125' below the summit, the New England Trail finds scree atop rough, exposed basalt.
From a perch on a herd path atop the cliffs, a view back down whence I started (parked across Rt. 141 from the pond) and beyond along the Metacomet Ridge, which bifurcates the western Connecticut River Valley, into the Nutmeg State.
Looking down the steep slope of the cliffs. Raw open rock cliffs are behind me and to the right. The newly repaved main reservation access road, named for Christopher Clark, can be seen 500+ feet below intersecting with Rt. 141.
Some of the open cliffs to which I referred.
Almost to the summit, crowned by communications towers, by now.
The middle of the 400'-ish bulwark of cliffs which support the summit of Mt. Tom. My phone cam didn't have a wide enough angle to capture their full extent, from so close, in one shot - there were about another 100' above the frame and maybe 100' below.
Northwesterly from the summit, past Easthampton, to the Berkshires. Mt. Greylock can be seen past the intervening ridgeline, about 1/4 of the frame from the left, with its sister peak, Saddleball, to its left - they're southern New England's only two proper 3000-footers.
Maybe 1/4 mile north of the summit, at 5 pm, I came across a group of parachutists, waiting, in vain, for the minimal wind to pick up so they can jump off the high cliffs and sail into the valley. They picked the wrong day!
Fuzzy because at high magnification, this shot shows Mt. Holyoke and its Summit House, center right, UMass in the middle distance, and Mt. Monadnock, faintly, towering over intervening ridges, on a line with UMass. A companion shot can be seen in my album showing, at normal resolution, Deadtop (home to the old Mt. Tom ski resort), UMass, Monadnock and Holyoke.
Finally, just downhill from the previous vantage point, a shot past a crevice about halfway between Mt. Tom and Deadtop across more cliffs and into the valley. Christopher Clark Road can again be seen in the near ground left and below.
From here, I continued over Deadtop, the down and up to Whiting Peak, which offers last views of Greylock, Mt. Snow and Little Haystack and Monadnock before the descent back to 600'. From there it was a two mile roadwalk beneath the cliffs, where the neck muscles get a workout along with the legs.
This trek, especially on a clear day, excites and activates the camera. I took about 100 photos, most of which can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/Arkie.in.C...0201230822515574.1073741826.1321623751&type=1
The plan was to ascend the steep, southerly route, parking near the Log Cabin just on the Holyoke side of the town line on Rt. 141. From here, including a quarter mile warm up gaining 100', you ascend about 625' in half a mile of basalt, much of it broken scree. The payoff is ever-widening views to Springfield, Hartford and neighboring hills and dales on a clear day, which this was, and dramatic 180+ degree views from south to northeast as you walk about two miles along the top of cliffs ranging from 200-500' high.
Here are a few pics from the climb:
About 125' below the summit, the New England Trail finds scree atop rough, exposed basalt.
From a perch on a herd path atop the cliffs, a view back down whence I started (parked across Rt. 141 from the pond) and beyond along the Metacomet Ridge, which bifurcates the western Connecticut River Valley, into the Nutmeg State.
Looking down the steep slope of the cliffs. Raw open rock cliffs are behind me and to the right. The newly repaved main reservation access road, named for Christopher Clark, can be seen 500+ feet below intersecting with Rt. 141.
Some of the open cliffs to which I referred.
Almost to the summit, crowned by communications towers, by now.
The middle of the 400'-ish bulwark of cliffs which support the summit of Mt. Tom. My phone cam didn't have a wide enough angle to capture their full extent, from so close, in one shot - there were about another 100' above the frame and maybe 100' below.
Northwesterly from the summit, past Easthampton, to the Berkshires. Mt. Greylock can be seen past the intervening ridgeline, about 1/4 of the frame from the left, with its sister peak, Saddleball, to its left - they're southern New England's only two proper 3000-footers.
Maybe 1/4 mile north of the summit, at 5 pm, I came across a group of parachutists, waiting, in vain, for the minimal wind to pick up so they can jump off the high cliffs and sail into the valley. They picked the wrong day!
Fuzzy because at high magnification, this shot shows Mt. Holyoke and its Summit House, center right, UMass in the middle distance, and Mt. Monadnock, faintly, towering over intervening ridges, on a line with UMass. A companion shot can be seen in my album showing, at normal resolution, Deadtop (home to the old Mt. Tom ski resort), UMass, Monadnock and Holyoke.
Finally, just downhill from the previous vantage point, a shot past a crevice about halfway between Mt. Tom and Deadtop across more cliffs and into the valley. Christopher Clark Road can again be seen in the near ground left and below.
From here, I continued over Deadtop, the down and up to Whiting Peak, which offers last views of Greylock, Mt. Snow and Little Haystack and Monadnock before the descent back to 600'. From there it was a two mile roadwalk beneath the cliffs, where the neck muscles get a workout along with the legs.
This trek, especially on a clear day, excites and activates the camera. I took about 100 photos, most of which can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/Arkie.in.C...0201230822515574.1073741826.1321623751&type=1
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