Doubting Thomas

OK, this is silly, but I've been trying to bag Mt. Tom (4,501 feet) for three hiking seasons now. But something always seemed to get in the way, and this peak has frustrated me because it should be one of the easiest to attain -- no major elevation gain, no technical climbing involved, no long trek to face.

My first attempt, in August 2000, I went with a hiking buddy who failed to bring the necessary gear on a cloudy, very raw, rainy day. So we bagged two other nearby mountains on the same ridgeline -- Willey and Field -- but bailed before hitting Tom. Silly me, I figured I'd have no trouble notching Tom at some other point.

But it was easier said than done. One time, for example, I went in the winter and apparently because this is so close to civilization, it had been turned into a winter playground, and there were tracks going every which way -- except, of course, the actual trail. And since there was so much snow, the blazes were tough to find.

I had taken to calling Tom that "stupid little mountain" -- probably not a good thing to say to the hiking gods, who teased me with how tantalizingly close Mt. Tom is but always seemed to prevent me from summiting. This time, I was committed.

Tom is named after Thomas Crawford, younger brother of Ethan Allen Crawford of the legendary White Mountain region Crawford family. Fittingly, it's nestled in the Crawford Notch area.

The trails were very familiar, albeit with a few blowdowns, two of which appeared relatively fresh. I started out on the Avalon Trail and reached the A-Z Trail in book time, rejoicing at that feat, which is rare for me. When I finally made it to the Tom Spur path, I was absolutely beside myself with joy.

This trail juncture is a beautiful spot. Somewhat open, even if still in the woods. I hiked up the spur path, surprised at how steep it was (certainly manageable but not a flat walk in). But I was even more surprised when I hit the summit.

This is no "stupid little mountain!" It's absolutely breathtaking the views you can take in, the fir wave that clears away any obstacles to spying the ranges around the notch. I love the little bench that someone made there. There was a small sign sitting on the ground that read "KMC," and I'm curious what KMC stands for.

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