For the Mountain She Loved

Katherine “Kay” Burnett always had a keen sense of where she wanted to go. Few things could stop her; a passionate outdoors woman who loved the woods and spent much of her free time hiking, Kay was known as an skilled trail builder who helped establish many trails and built many bridges on Mt. Tom.

Kay’s passions were evident not only on the trails she helped to build, but also in her distinguished career at Smith College’s Josten Performing Arts Library. Her award-wining and innovative work there was widely recognized.

When Kay passed away in 2017, she left a bequest to Kestrel Land Trust. Her generosity made it possible for Kestrel to purchase land to expand public access to Mt. Tom—a place  Kay loved dearly. Now, because of Kay,  the wonders of the mountain will be directly accessible to the Easthampton community, forever.