What a wonderful trail to Mt. Tom! I was glad to finally make it, as I had attempted this with Mike in the winter and the steep grade about halfway through scared me so much that I turned back. Doing that in snowshoes would have been tricky. And I was just learning...We had three significant steam crossings, for which I was grateful to have hiking poles for balance. It was heart-rending at one point to watch a large black dog run back and forth along the bank, trying to find a good crossing point. He stepped in twice, whimpering as his paw hit the cold water. Finally, with the coaxing of his owner across the stream, he plunged in and made it across in just a few seconds.
To reach the true summit, you must take the left trail at the junction near the top. Miraculously, we were the only ones there -- except for two bold birds, which I later confirmed were juvenile Gray Jays. Both begging for food, of course! There was really no view at all. We were completely fogged in. At least it didn't rain!The descent is actually fairly easy -- lots of moderate steps down; no long steps over big boulders as with the Mt. Percival trail on Saturday.
I LOVED this trail! Must do it again. With snowshoes!
5.6 miles, 2,151' elevation gain
Summit: Mt. Tom = 4,051 feet high
Route: Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom spur.
5-1/2 hours in total (including time on summit)
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