I declared August 2021 Adventure-a-Day Month (yes, I can do that)! Every day of August, I embarked on some type of adventure, 31 days, 31 adventures, some big, some small, some physical, some mental. It’s my way of making adventure part of everyday life. I write about each adventure below.
Day 19: Thursday, August 19
Mt. Tom hike with my nephew and sister
I could almost hike Mt. Tom in my sleep at this point, or at least in the dark with no headlamp. It’s that familiar. And yet, it never gets old, especially when introducing it to someone who hasn’t been up there on the Mt. Tom ridge before. The initial climb gets the blood pumping, then you scramble through the tight rock chute that spits you out atop the ridge. From there, you traverse up and down for two miles of breathtaking views and sheer drops of hundreds of feet off the ridge cliffs. Easthampton and the Valley stretch below and the view, on a clear day, extends to New York in the east and New Hampshire to the north. My nephew, Lee, lives in Texas. In all of that vast state, we agreed, there is no hike quite like Mt. Tom.
Adventure: Mt. Tom hike.
Distance traveled: About 5 miles
Challenges: Moderate climb up and steep climb down through shale.
Risks: Slipping and falling off a cliff with drop offs of hundreds of feet.
Difficulty scale 1-10: 4.5
Highlights: Spectacular views, glorious breezes, the joy of sharing this local landmark with someone who hasn’t been up there before.