We set out on the Robert Frost Trail which is orange blazed. The Robert Frost Trail is a 45 mile trail that runs thru the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. The trails at this point were still covered in snow after a bad winter and we wore our micro spikes to help with traction. The trail was marked, but there were many junctions along this trail that had us stopping and second guessing ourselves on which way to go. There were a few junctions we came across which you could go one way or the other, but no signs that existed to let us know we were going the right way or any mileage. Perhaps some fine students as UMASS could work on this for a class project!
At about .5 miles we turned right to follow the trail where we went further into the woods. We went about 1 mile where we reached another junction and turned right. The elevation started to gradually rise at this point and we crossed under telephone poles. It doesn't sound too picturesque when I mention telephone poles on a hike, but it was pretty peaceful and scenic. Plus the phone service of course was fantastic...ok I can't confirm that one, but maybe I will check next time. We came to another fork in the trail where we went right and continued up the Robert Frost Trail. Going left would have lead us to the red blazed Upper Link Trail. The last .7 miles to the top of Mount Toby was pretty steep, but we knew what awaited us, so we kept trekking on.
The top of Mount Toby (1269 feet) has a nine story observation tower. There is no actual view from the mountain unless you climb the tower. I should have counted the number of steps to the top, but I was focused on not slipping and fallen since I'm rather clumsy. I'm proud to say we didn't have to take out the first aid kit on this hike! The very top of the tower was closed off, but I'm not sure if it's closed year round or if it's only open seasonal. The tower offered a fantastic 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains and we could even see our favorite Mount Tom.
Once back on solid ground we continued following the Robert Frost Trail to Summit Mountain Road for a little over 2.5 miles. This trail isn't actually a paved road, but a wider trail. This trail follows along Roaring Brook that was roaring pretty good with all the snow melting. We bypassed the Bypass Trail that was on the right, but wish we hadn't since after looking at a map it would have extended the hike to Roaring Mountain and linking us back to the trail that we were currently on. This trail is frequently used by horseback riders and I was pretty excited to have to move off the trail to let a couple of horses go by. Before we knew it we had looped back to the beginning of the hike and we were back at the car. Overall Mount Toby was a nice 5 mile loop hike, but UMASS needs to work on there trail signage!
