Wolfgang
New member
Date of Hike: Fri. Apr., 22, 2011
Trails: Avalon, Willey Range, Mt. Tom Spur, A-Z Trail.
Conditions: Trail had a firm, hard, base throughout the hike, with several inches of fresh powder, deeper on the ridge. Lots of hidden ice beneath the new snow, which made for some tricky traction problems, until it softened up later. We were the only ones on the trails today. There wasn't a sign of any track or trough on the trails today from earlier in the week. We wore Hillsounds and Micro Spikes up the Avalon Trail to the summit of Field. Crampons wouldn't have been overkill for this section. From Field, we wore snowshoes, and they stayed on for the duration of the hike. We had no problem finding the trail over to Willey from Field, but someone who is not familiar with this trial would certainly have route finding problems. From Field to Mt. Tom spur the route was easy to find. No problems with the Mt. Tom Spur to Tom. The worst section of trail, was the A-Z from Tom Spur Jct. to Avalon Jct. It was hard to find the correct route at times. One section at the second gully stream crossing was very dangerous. Slide sloping with blue ice beneath. Crampons would have been the safer bet through here. We made it with our MSR's, but really took our time. All in all a great day out with beautiful weather. Hiked today with Bill & Scott Marcotte, and Steve Moore, who finished his April Grid today.
Wolfgang
Trails: Avalon, Willey Range, Mt. Tom Spur, A-Z Trail.
Conditions: Trail had a firm, hard, base throughout the hike, with several inches of fresh powder, deeper on the ridge. Lots of hidden ice beneath the new snow, which made for some tricky traction problems, until it softened up later. We were the only ones on the trails today. There wasn't a sign of any track or trough on the trails today from earlier in the week. We wore Hillsounds and Micro Spikes up the Avalon Trail to the summit of Field. Crampons wouldn't have been overkill for this section. From Field, we wore snowshoes, and they stayed on for the duration of the hike. We had no problem finding the trail over to Willey from Field, but someone who is not familiar with this trial would certainly have route finding problems. From Field to Mt. Tom spur the route was easy to find. No problems with the Mt. Tom Spur to Tom. The worst section of trail, was the A-Z from Tom Spur Jct. to Avalon Jct. It was hard to find the correct route at times. One section at the second gully stream crossing was very dangerous. Slide sloping with blue ice beneath. Crampons would have been the safer bet through here. We made it with our MSR's, but really took our time. All in all a great day out with beautiful weather. Hiked today with Bill & Scott Marcotte, and Steve Moore, who finished his April Grid today.
Wolfgang
