Cross-River Cousins

This week I climbed Sugarloaf Mountain (652 feet) and then North Sugarloaf Mountain (791 feet) and finally Mount Toby (1269 feet).

Mount Toby, seen from Mount Sugarloaf
Mount Toby, seen from Mount Sugarloaf

 

North and South Sugarloaf from Mount Toby
North and South Sugarloaf from Mount Toby

 North Sugarloaf is composed of hard basalt, while South Sugarloaf is made of sandstone, and was formed by the southward moving glaciers in the ‘lee’ of North Sugarloaf, a kind of shadow. That’s why South Sugarloaf is eroding away much more quickly and a saddleback has formed between the two. 

Mount Toby on the other side of the Connecticut River is composed of  (what else?) Mount Toby conglomerate. Now cross-river cousins, Sugarloaf and Toby were once on different continents.