BIGEarl
Well-known member
December 28, 2013: Willey Range Loop
Trails: Avalon Trail, Willey Range Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, A-Z Trail
Summits: Mount Field, Mount Willey, Mount Tom
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Larry Donoghue, and me
The year is closing with a very nice surprise; Larry Donoghue was able to join the party on the Willey Range. At a civilized time we met at the Highland Center to take care of final hike prep and set off. The place was pretty busy, but it’s a busy time of year. The forecast for the day wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible either. We expected snow showers off and on all day, mild temperature, and westerly winds of ~30mph gusting to over 40mph. Because of the westerly wind forecast we decided on a hike that would provide shelter from it. Looping the Willey Range is a great hike for the expected conditions.
We left the Highland Center, wandered to Crawford Depot and started up Avalon Trail. We brought MICROSpikes and crampons for the hike but left the snowshoes in the truck. As it turned out, snowshoes were not at all needed and would have been nothing more than excess weight. All of us were bare booting the hike at the start. The trail was well tracked out with a light dusting of loose snow and the stream crossings were no problem at all with ice bridges at each location. As we started the climb to A-Z junction Larry made the comment he intended to pull out the light traction there. We were running into an increasing amount of ice under the loose snow cover and would definitely need a little help on the climb past A-Z junction. As we were taking care of the MICROSpikes another hiker came through and headed straight to Mt. Tom.
We made the turn to continue on Avalon Trail past Avalon to Mount Field. The trail above A-Z junction was definitely more of a test than the lower trail. There was loads of ice that probably pushed the MICROSpikes to their limit. Descending this trail would probably need more than just the MICROSpikes, but they did the job well ascending. Slowly we made our way up the steep climb to Avalon Spur. The low-cloud conditions made for limited views and we simply passed the spur and continued on our way to the ridge and Willey Range Trail. The steep pitches on the upper section of Avalon were less icy than the lower ones but included some sections groomed smooth by glissaders. The MICROSpikes did the job.
We reached Willey Range Trail on plan, made the turn, and headed south to Mount Field (100 yards), and then Mount Willey. At Mount Field there were still some limited views but the cloud cover was dropping fast. After a couple pictures we continued south to Mount Willey. A short distance south of Mount Field we enjoyed views to Carrigain Notch and west toward The Bonds, but they were soon obscured by clouds.
On the way to Willey we passed through the area where the trail was blocked by blowdowns on our earlier 2013 visits; the trail is still blocked and the herd path is in use. It’s an easy bypass and we didn’t actually notice it on our way south – it registered on our return.
We reached Willey with none of the usual views to enjoy, got our summit pictures, and while we were there a couple Jays came to visit. Sue spent a few minutes getting acquainted. Soon it was time to u-turn north back over Mount Field and on to Mount Tom.
As we passed by Mount Field we met a few others at the summit trying to decide if they should go to Willey. After asking a couple questions they were on their way. I hope they made it through the remainder of their day with no problems. Before we were able to leave the summit area of Mount Field a couple more Jays cruised in and Sue was again enjoying the wildlife. I’ll admit these birds are fun.
The walk north to Mt. Tom continued on a generally clear trail. The wind was a little more aggressive on the north side of Field but we found it decreased as we lost elevation on our way to Mt. Tom. We enjoyed a pleasant walk to A-Z trail junction at the north end of Willey Range Trail. From there, we made the turn and were soon turning again onto Mt. Tom Spur headed to the summit.
The sign says Mt. Tom spur to the summit is .5 miles; it’s possibly the longest .5 miles in New Hampshire. I’m thinking a foreigner possibly from Maine did the measuring. Through personal experience I’ve learned Maine miles are the longest miles you’ll find. Yeah, that’s probably the case; .5 Maine mile.
We did the climb, Sue found a snowman, got some pictures and we were on our way. There was very little ice on Mt. Tom Spur and the walk back to A-Z trail was fast and easy. We were all wondering what would happen next.
The descent from the height of land on A-Z Trail is a very steep pitch and I believe we all thought crampons would be out soon. As it turned out, the trail was not at all icy like Avalon Trail and we were able to stay with MICROSpikes. I don’t think any of us went down on the descent. We reached the small stream crossing and knew the toughest part of our exit hike was behind us. There was only one remaining short steep pitch to get through near Avalon junction and then it would be a mild mostly downhill cruise to the trailhead.
We picked up Avalon Trail and enjoyed an easy walk back to Crawford Depot. Much earlier than expected, and without the need of headlights, we reached Crawford Depot and the end of our hike. We wandered back to The Highland Center, packed our things, and said our goodbyes. Sue and I went inside for a quick change into dry clothes. By the time we returned Larry was packed and gone.
Thanks Larry, I’m really glad you were able to join the Willey Range fun. You’re always a pleasure to hike with – I wish it happened more often.
Thanks Sue for another good day in the mountains.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Avalon Trail, Willey Range Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, A-Z Trail
Summits: Mount Field, Mount Willey, Mount Tom
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Larry Donoghue, and me
The year is closing with a very nice surprise; Larry Donoghue was able to join the party on the Willey Range. At a civilized time we met at the Highland Center to take care of final hike prep and set off. The place was pretty busy, but it’s a busy time of year. The forecast for the day wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible either. We expected snow showers off and on all day, mild temperature, and westerly winds of ~30mph gusting to over 40mph. Because of the westerly wind forecast we decided on a hike that would provide shelter from it. Looping the Willey Range is a great hike for the expected conditions.
We left the Highland Center, wandered to Crawford Depot and started up Avalon Trail. We brought MICROSpikes and crampons for the hike but left the snowshoes in the truck. As it turned out, snowshoes were not at all needed and would have been nothing more than excess weight. All of us were bare booting the hike at the start. The trail was well tracked out with a light dusting of loose snow and the stream crossings were no problem at all with ice bridges at each location. As we started the climb to A-Z junction Larry made the comment he intended to pull out the light traction there. We were running into an increasing amount of ice under the loose snow cover and would definitely need a little help on the climb past A-Z junction. As we were taking care of the MICROSpikes another hiker came through and headed straight to Mt. Tom.
We made the turn to continue on Avalon Trail past Avalon to Mount Field. The trail above A-Z junction was definitely more of a test than the lower trail. There was loads of ice that probably pushed the MICROSpikes to their limit. Descending this trail would probably need more than just the MICROSpikes, but they did the job well ascending. Slowly we made our way up the steep climb to Avalon Spur. The low-cloud conditions made for limited views and we simply passed the spur and continued on our way to the ridge and Willey Range Trail. The steep pitches on the upper section of Avalon were less icy than the lower ones but included some sections groomed smooth by glissaders. The MICROSpikes did the job.
We reached Willey Range Trail on plan, made the turn, and headed south to Mount Field (100 yards), and then Mount Willey. At Mount Field there were still some limited views but the cloud cover was dropping fast. After a couple pictures we continued south to Mount Willey. A short distance south of Mount Field we enjoyed views to Carrigain Notch and west toward The Bonds, but they were soon obscured by clouds.
On the way to Willey we passed through the area where the trail was blocked by blowdowns on our earlier 2013 visits; the trail is still blocked and the herd path is in use. It’s an easy bypass and we didn’t actually notice it on our way south – it registered on our return.
We reached Willey with none of the usual views to enjoy, got our summit pictures, and while we were there a couple Jays came to visit. Sue spent a few minutes getting acquainted. Soon it was time to u-turn north back over Mount Field and on to Mount Tom.
As we passed by Mount Field we met a few others at the summit trying to decide if they should go to Willey. After asking a couple questions they were on their way. I hope they made it through the remainder of their day with no problems. Before we were able to leave the summit area of Mount Field a couple more Jays cruised in and Sue was again enjoying the wildlife. I’ll admit these birds are fun.
The walk north to Mt. Tom continued on a generally clear trail. The wind was a little more aggressive on the north side of Field but we found it decreased as we lost elevation on our way to Mt. Tom. We enjoyed a pleasant walk to A-Z trail junction at the north end of Willey Range Trail. From there, we made the turn and were soon turning again onto Mt. Tom Spur headed to the summit.
The sign says Mt. Tom spur to the summit is .5 miles; it’s possibly the longest .5 miles in New Hampshire. I’m thinking a foreigner possibly from Maine did the measuring. Through personal experience I’ve learned Maine miles are the longest miles you’ll find. Yeah, that’s probably the case; .5 Maine mile.
We did the climb, Sue found a snowman, got some pictures and we were on our way. There was very little ice on Mt. Tom Spur and the walk back to A-Z trail was fast and easy. We were all wondering what would happen next.
The descent from the height of land on A-Z Trail is a very steep pitch and I believe we all thought crampons would be out soon. As it turned out, the trail was not at all icy like Avalon Trail and we were able to stay with MICROSpikes. I don’t think any of us went down on the descent. We reached the small stream crossing and knew the toughest part of our exit hike was behind us. There was only one remaining short steep pitch to get through near Avalon junction and then it would be a mild mostly downhill cruise to the trailhead.
We picked up Avalon Trail and enjoyed an easy walk back to Crawford Depot. Much earlier than expected, and without the need of headlights, we reached Crawford Depot and the end of our hike. We wandered back to The Highland Center, packed our things, and said our goodbyes. Sue and I went inside for a quick change into dry clothes. By the time we returned Larry was packed and gone.
Thanks Larry, I’m really glad you were able to join the Willey Range fun. You’re always a pleasure to hike with – I wish it happened more often.
Thanks Sue for another good day in the mountains.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
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