2009 Summer

Mt. Tom

The Turner kids have fond memories of family trips leaving from Fairfield, CT and heading to the hills and lakes upstate. On July 3 we made a pilgrimage to Mt. Tom State Park and Bantam Lake. Lyn and Kathy graciously came along.

June had been cool, gray, and rainy. The pattern continued through the first two days of July, so on the 3rd when the sun began to shine it was hard to believe. Praise God - the storms could often be seen in our vicinity, and we heard a few rumbles of thunder and felt a few raindrops, but in fact we had cheerful sun for 90% of the day!

Mt. Tom is less than a one mile hike, not very steep as a trail, but with a few steep rocks.
the base of the hike

At the summit of Mt. Tom is an old stone tower with a wooden stairway up the center.

Kathy, Gail, and Scott ascended. The view from the lookout tower was 360°.

The view and the breeze were lovely. Scott and Gail saw a hummingbird zipping from place to place in the treetops.

assembling for the descent

on the trail

Old picnic tables at the trailhead provided a site for our lunch.

Bantam Lake

Later we visited Bantam Lake, where we had come to swim several times as a family. We were pleased that both Mt. Tom and Bantam Lake remained delightful, uncrowded family favorites.

Amy found a spot to check her cell phone.

A huge oak tree in the middle of the sandy beach was just the place for our chairs.