The goal was Mt. Tom, a 4,000 footer. Or, worst case, Mt. Avalon -- a mountain at least, though only 3,442 feet tall. Wouldn't have been a problem in better weather. But winter hiking is so much more difficult! I made it 1/3 of a mile past the trail junction with the Mt. Avalon spur, but then I wimped out. Two spills on the steep descent before the steep ascent of Mt. Tom, and I was done. Didn't feel comfortable doing the ascent, knowing I had all that to descend. I didn't even want to ascend Mt. Avalon, again due my perceived steepness of the trail. The good news is that I spent the rest of the 1.5 miles back to the car practicing flat-footing with the snowshoes on moderate grades. And I feel comfortable with that now. So, next weekend, I'm attempting Mt. Tom again. I just have to be more aggressive with my footing. Mike was a good sport about it all. I think I was more disappointed not to make it to the summit than he was! But a beautiful hike, on nearly 3 feet of packed snow!
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