Tom Rankin
Well-known member
After a great day on Tom for Flags, we decided to head back towards home, and pick up the last peak Laurie needs for her NEHH in Vermont, Equinox.
The hike didn't start till Noon, but that was fine, as it was quite cool in the morning, and we needed to slowly wake up as we drove.
I brought my nice, big, heavy camera, but forgot the memory card!
Oh well, we have memories in our heads! It was a beautiful day and we hiked slowly up the 3000'+ elevation gain from the Seminary to the summit. There is a great spring, (marked with a short side trail), that we stopped at on the way up. Mmmmm!
Just before the summit, there is an unmarked 4 way junction. The blue blazing suddenly stops and so we decided to follow the rule of 'UP'!. The trail was a little spotty here, but it led to a small building with a fence around it. From here, I remembered how to get to the summit. It was very straight forward. 2 Hawks were diving and swooping in this small clearing, so we watched in awe for a few minutes!
The summit area is filled with a variety of gadgets, including the Hotel, a LARGE tower, and several smaller ones. Gone, alas, was the infamous Coke machine, but Robohiker still stood guard!
The views were great! We could see Graylock, and the ADKs, as well as numerous mountains in the Greens. There were several tourists on top, and a few climbers who had come up before us. We had a nice time chatting, as we admired the views. The wind was almost calm, which was good, because although it was sunny, the temps were around 45!
As we descended we met a man who recognized my VFTT shirt. He is a member here, and he was finishing his 2nd round of the NEHH! Wow! Way to go! Sorry, I couldn't remember your name, but congrats!
The walk down was much quicker than the walk up! It was 2 1/4 hours up, and 1 1/4 hours down. We actually felt pretty good when we finished.
On a recommendation from fellow hikers, we finished the day off with some Brews and the Madison Pub in Bennington!
The hike didn't start till Noon, but that was fine, as it was quite cool in the morning, and we needed to slowly wake up as we drove.
I brought my nice, big, heavy camera, but forgot the memory card!
Oh well, we have memories in our heads! It was a beautiful day and we hiked slowly up the 3000'+ elevation gain from the Seminary to the summit. There is a great spring, (marked with a short side trail), that we stopped at on the way up. Mmmmm!
Just before the summit, there is an unmarked 4 way junction. The blue blazing suddenly stops and so we decided to follow the rule of 'UP'!. The trail was a little spotty here, but it led to a small building with a fence around it. From here, I remembered how to get to the summit. It was very straight forward. 2 Hawks were diving and swooping in this small clearing, so we watched in awe for a few minutes!
The summit area is filled with a variety of gadgets, including the Hotel, a LARGE tower, and several smaller ones. Gone, alas, was the infamous Coke machine, but Robohiker still stood guard!
The views were great! We could see Graylock, and the ADKs, as well as numerous mountains in the Greens. There were several tourists on top, and a few climbers who had come up before us. We had a nice time chatting, as we admired the views. The wind was almost calm, which was good, because although it was sunny, the temps were around 45!
As we descended we met a man who recognized my VFTT shirt. He is a member here, and he was finishing his 2nd round of the NEHH!
Wow! Way to go! Sorry, I couldn't remember your name, but congrats!The walk down was much quicker than the walk up! It was 2 1/4 hours up, and 1 1/4 hours down. We actually felt pretty good when we finished.
On a recommendation from fellow hikers, we finished the day off with some Brews and the Madison Pub in Bennington!
