FreightTrain
New member
This report is a little late, but I wanted to get it in anyway. With two of our group recovering from injuries, Eric and I decided to get the "Hike a Month" done for January. We both needed to cross Willey of the list of remaining winter peaks and we decided the route up the Avalon trail and over Filed would be the best. Gearing up in the mist at the parking lot was a little unpleasant but we knew it would change soon. We started up the trail whith overloaded packs. Our preference is for overnight stays which give us more enjoyable mountain time in the whites. We found a suitable site, set up and switched to the day packs.
The Avalon tail had 3-4 inches of snow that contained just enough moisture to make our boots land firmly on the trail. I like this trails straight and direct route up. We passed and were passed by a few other groups. I was surprised by the number of hikers on the trail. We dedcided to save Avalon's peak for the return trip. The hike up Field was more of the same loose but firm snow on the trail. The view from Field was the view many of us see from various peaks in the whites, a big white cloud that hid everything else. We got a picture taken and moved on towards Willey.
The snow was a little deeper and the foot trafiic a little less than on the Avalon Trail. There was one group ahead of us leaving the only visible footprints. The wind picked up a little as we approached Willey. Rather than bundling up on the summit, I put on a dry shirt and my wind gear just below the last short climb to the summit. We passed the two hikers that were ahead of us as they ate lunch in the trees 20 yards below the summit. The view was very similar to the one on Field, a sea of white. One less peak on the winter list now. We didn't stay long and headed down into the trees to get some lunch for ourself befor going up and over Field again.
The hike down from Field was a lot different than on the way up. Several groups of hikers had beaten the trail down to a slick packed ice condition. It was best to walk on the parts of the trail that saw the fewest footsteps. We could see that the summit of Avalon was in the clouds and we decided that another glimpse of that white soup was not necessary and besides, Avalon was already off the winter list. Although the hike was not real long, it felt good to get back to camp. After a short rest we prepared camp for the night and noticed some blue sky in the distance. One of the reasons we do a base camp approach to hiking is that we don't comprimise on our food and usually eat like kings. This night was no different, feasting on a mule deer backstap, herbal mashed potatoes, brocolli and cheese sauce, and a marble rye bread. The night sky was full of stars as we settled into our bags under the tarp. Sometime around 4:00am small specks of snow found their way under the tarp and onto our face. We awoke to a beautifull light new snow covering of about a half inch.
The other nice thing about keeping the hike in to base camp short is that it makes for a short hike out on Sunday morning. In that short distance we met several people heading up the trail for their shot at the peaks. We talked about the events of the weekend and began to plan February's hike as we drove home. Maybe the group will be back to full strength by then.
The Avalon tail had 3-4 inches of snow that contained just enough moisture to make our boots land firmly on the trail. I like this trails straight and direct route up. We passed and were passed by a few other groups. I was surprised by the number of hikers on the trail. We dedcided to save Avalon's peak for the return trip. The hike up Field was more of the same loose but firm snow on the trail. The view from Field was the view many of us see from various peaks in the whites, a big white cloud that hid everything else. We got a picture taken and moved on towards Willey.
The snow was a little deeper and the foot trafiic a little less than on the Avalon Trail. There was one group ahead of us leaving the only visible footprints. The wind picked up a little as we approached Willey. Rather than bundling up on the summit, I put on a dry shirt and my wind gear just below the last short climb to the summit. We passed the two hikers that were ahead of us as they ate lunch in the trees 20 yards below the summit. The view was very similar to the one on Field, a sea of white. One less peak on the winter list now. We didn't stay long and headed down into the trees to get some lunch for ourself befor going up and over Field again.
The hike down from Field was a lot different than on the way up. Several groups of hikers had beaten the trail down to a slick packed ice condition. It was best to walk on the parts of the trail that saw the fewest footsteps. We could see that the summit of Avalon was in the clouds and we decided that another glimpse of that white soup was not necessary and besides, Avalon was already off the winter list. Although the hike was not real long, it felt good to get back to camp. After a short rest we prepared camp for the night and noticed some blue sky in the distance. One of the reasons we do a base camp approach to hiking is that we don't comprimise on our food and usually eat like kings. This night was no different, feasting on a mule deer backstap, herbal mashed potatoes, brocolli and cheese sauce, and a marble rye bread. The night sky was full of stars as we settled into our bags under the tarp. Sometime around 4:00am small specks of snow found their way under the tarp and onto our face. We awoke to a beautifull light new snow covering of about a half inch.
The other nice thing about keeping the hike in to base camp short is that it makes for a short hike out on Sunday morning. In that short distance we met several people heading up the trail for their shot at the peaks. We talked about the events of the weekend and began to plan February's hike as we drove home. Maybe the group will be back to full strength by then.
