Never have I enjoyed such a magnificent view for so short a hike as the trek to the top of Gap Mountain.

Located just south of Grand Monadnock, off Route 12 in Troy, Gap Mountain is a bump (two, actually) along the Metacomet Monadnock trail, but it makes a fine little day hike itself, especially for those short on years and inseam, who might find Monadnock a little too tiring.

From the parking lot to the top took us little more than half an hour, at leisurely amble, and the pay-off is astonishing. The top is wide open, with a clear view in all directions, and covered with blueberry bushes!

The trail starts fairly flat, with a gentle ups and downs, then gets gradually steeper, but never very steep for very long. There are plenty of recognizable landmarks of the sort that help to coax kids along: the brook, the stone walls, the meadow with its mailbox and hikers journal, an old orchard, a boulder in a shady grove of hemlock...

Gap Mountain also is far less likely to be crowded -- we saw but one other soul the entire time -- and you can bring your dog along. It made me eager to explore more of that trail; it looks like a fine running route.