1HappyHiker
Well-known member
The mountains don't go anywhere. They simply wait patiently for folks to come visit them. It's almost un-neighborly on my part not to visit Mt. Tom more often since I live so nearby in Bethlehem, and it's only a 2.5 hour doorstep-to-summit journey.
So, with a few free hours, I decided to go visit Tom and share a small slice of time with this guy. It was a very modest goal to only visit this peak and not include the nearby neighbors of Field and Willey. However, it was very relaxing to have no pressure to rush away from Tom in order to visit the other two peaks in this mountain range.
Weather-wise, it was a fantastic day to linger on a mountaintop. There was only an occasional whisper of wind, and the air temperature was a balmy 40 degrees according to the thermometer on my backpack. Also, it was sunny . . . well sort of! It was a funky type of sunlight that made for some unimpressive photos of distant vistas.
Anyway, while relishing the warmth and lack of wind, I sat down for a snack. Almost immediately, I had heard a fluttering sound above me. I looked up and of course it was a Gray Jay who had decided to join me. With something as cute as that looking down at you, how is it possible to deny handing over a few treats?!
Gray Jay Awaiting a Snack
Gray Jay Getting a Snack
Well, getting back to the views, it was the type of day when you could set up there atop the mountain and see the views and enjoy the heck out of them, but photographically . . . eh . . . not so much! Regardless, below are a few of the vistas that I particularly enjoyed. But I must reiterate that on this particular day, these views were much better seen by the human eye than by the eye of the camera.
Presidential Range
Bond-Twin Range
Mt. Carrigain and Surrounding Mountains
Highly-Zoomed View of Carrigain Notch
So, after spending quite a bit of "quality time" with Mt. Tom it was eventually time to say good-bye to the guy and head back down. When I arrived at the junction of the Mt. Tom Spur and the A-Z Trail, I wondered if maybe I should try to squeeze in a visit to Mt. Field, even though it was getting late in the afternoon. Then, I recalled something I'd once been told which goes something like this:
"A mountain climber is someone who wants to take just one more peak."
It took some doing, but I managed to suppress my mountain climber urge "to take just one more peak", and to be content with Mt. Tom on this particular day. However, I did walk the short distance (250 feet or so) down to the junction of the Willey Range and A-Z Trail. The Willey Range Trail was well broken out, but the A-Z Trail was definitely unbroken beyond this junction.
Unbroken A-Z Trail Beyond the Junction with Willey Range Trail
Although spending a slice of time on Mt. Tom was a goal that was small, there was a large sense of satisfaction with having an unhurried visit to this mountaintop, especially on a day when the weather was ideal for lingering.
1HappyHiker
So, with a few free hours, I decided to go visit Tom and share a small slice of time with this guy. It was a very modest goal to only visit this peak and not include the nearby neighbors of Field and Willey. However, it was very relaxing to have no pressure to rush away from Tom in order to visit the other two peaks in this mountain range.
Weather-wise, it was a fantastic day to linger on a mountaintop. There was only an occasional whisper of wind, and the air temperature was a balmy 40 degrees according to the thermometer on my backpack. Also, it was sunny . . . well sort of! It was a funky type of sunlight that made for some unimpressive photos of distant vistas.
Anyway, while relishing the warmth and lack of wind, I sat down for a snack. Almost immediately, I had heard a fluttering sound above me. I looked up and of course it was a Gray Jay who had decided to join me. With something as cute as that looking down at you, how is it possible to deny handing over a few treats?!
Gray Jay Awaiting a Snack
Gray Jay Getting a Snack
Well, getting back to the views, it was the type of day when you could set up there atop the mountain and see the views and enjoy the heck out of them, but photographically . . . eh . . . not so much! Regardless, below are a few of the vistas that I particularly enjoyed. But I must reiterate that on this particular day, these views were much better seen by the human eye than by the eye of the camera.
Presidential Range
Bond-Twin Range
Mt. Carrigain and Surrounding Mountains
Highly-Zoomed View of Carrigain Notch
So, after spending quite a bit of "quality time" with Mt. Tom it was eventually time to say good-bye to the guy and head back down. When I arrived at the junction of the Mt. Tom Spur and the A-Z Trail, I wondered if maybe I should try to squeeze in a visit to Mt. Field, even though it was getting late in the afternoon. Then, I recalled something I'd once been told which goes something like this:
"A mountain climber is someone who wants to take just one more peak."
It took some doing, but I managed to suppress my mountain climber urge "to take just one more peak", and to be content with Mt. Tom on this particular day. However, I did walk the short distance (250 feet or so) down to the junction of the Willey Range and A-Z Trail. The Willey Range Trail was well broken out, but the A-Z Trail was definitely unbroken beyond this junction.
Unbroken A-Z Trail Beyond the Junction with Willey Range Trail
Although spending a slice of time on Mt. Tom was a goal that was small, there was a large sense of satisfaction with having an unhurried visit to this mountaintop, especially on a day when the weather was ideal for lingering.
1HappyHiker
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