BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 5, 2008: Mts. Tom, Field, Willey, and Avalon
Trails: Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Willey Range Trail, Mt. Avalon Spur
I was just walking along minding my own business. Suddenly I’m experiencing more pain that I have in a long time. But, I’m getting ahead of myself…
Trail Trotter (Sue) and I had a plan to complete a loop hike of the Willey Range from Crawford Notch and visit the summit of Mt. Avalon on the way out. We arrived at the pullout on route 302 in Crawford Notch and quickly prepared to get started. The conditions were low clouds, fog, no wind, and a warm temp in the mid 30’s to start. The National Weather Service forecast indicated the conditions were expected to improve through the day. We had the place to ourselves.
We started the day bare booting the hike. The trail was very firm with an inch of wet snow on the surface. On the level section to start traction wasn’t an issue. Within a short time of heading out a solo hiker went past headed for Mount Tom. We met him a couple more times later in the morning. The warm condition was really softening the snow creating traction problems. Soon Sue pulled out her snowshoes. A short time after I was experiencing traction problems and went with crampons. With the traction issue resolved we slowly made our way past the Avalon & A-Z trails junction and onto the height of land on the Willey Range and the Mt. Tom Spur. Along the way we could see places where the solo hiker frequently drifted off the packed trail and managed some impressive postholes. The wind had come up a little so before heading to the summit of Mt. Tom we added a layer. Roughly half way to the summit we came upon the solo hiker headed down with plans to hike Mt. Field and call it a day. On the summit of Mt. Tom the view was limited to the inside of a cloud. We took a couple pictures, explored the area a bit, and headed back to the Willey Range Trail to head south for Field and Willey.
Back at the Willey Range Trail I changed from Crampons to Snowshoes. I could see the other hiker was postholing more and more, clearly it was time for snowshoes. A short distance south on the Willey Range Trail we found the place where the other fellow made the change to snowshoes as well. The Willey Range Trail is in pretty good shape leading to Mt. Field. The snow is very deep and many times we were hiking in treetops. The fog was still drifting through the area with no sign of improving. When we reached the Avalon Trail & Willey Range Trail junction we could see where the solo hiker headed out – must be he is not a peakbagger. In a hundred yards we were on the summit of Mount Field getting a couple more pictures but still no views. No Gray Jays either!
Now the day got a little more interesting. There was no evidence of traffic between Mt. Field and Mt. Willey. The trail was completely drifted in. Most of the blazes are under the level of the snow. The blazes we were able to locate were generally in tough shape. We broke through a snow drift and set off for Mount Willey. The next couple hours was filled with breaking trail, searching for blazes, pushing through treetops, and more. I started the trailbreaking, Sue took over in the middle section, and I was leading again at the end. At more than one point we were unable to find blazes and wandered trying to locate the trail. Consequently, there are a few places where our tracks drift for some distance away from the trail. Anybody following our tracks should always stay right on the way to Mt. Willey. As we were approaching the summit area we lost the trail and drifted to the east. I had been in this area a couple years ago and knew we needed to work our way to the west. Believing we could simply bushwhack our way back on trail we set off. We made several attempts at bushwhacking to the west. Each attempt included being caught in a spruce trap, sometimes several. On one occasion I went in to my shoulders. As I was taking my camera out to have Sue take a picture the snow gave way and she was up to her shoulders. There we were, talking to each other with perhaps ten feet between us and all either of us could see was the other’s head. We’re having fun now!
We backed off from the bushwhacks and backtracked to a position where we found more open conditions. Here we made our move west and soon landed on the trail. There were no blazes at first but it was clearly a trail. Off we went and eventually found a blaze at snow level. We managed to stay with the trail all the way to the summit. The clearing conditions that were forecast were still in the future. A couple pictures and we were on our way back to Mount Field but now we have a trail to follow.
The return hike and re-climb of Mount Field of 1.4 miles and 350 feet went quickly. Soon we were on the summit with food out and still no Gray Jays. After quick refreshment we were heading for Mt. Avalon via the Mt. Avalon Trail. Other hikers had come through and there were now multiple sets of tracks headed down the Avalon Trail. Unfortunately, at least a couple did not have snowshoes.
We made our way without any problem to the Mt. Avalon Spur. The side trip to the summit is only a hundred yards and 100 feet in elevation. Off we went to hit the final summit for the day. Sue had been thinking about her Swiss Bob all day and planned to do some sliding on the way out from Mt. Avalon. She got rid of the snowshoes, secured everything on her pack, and headed down from the summit. Riding a Swiss Bob off the summit of Mt. Avalon looked like a great way to get hurt, not for me – I was walking.
There I was just walking along, minding my own business, hiking down the very steep trail from the summit of Mt. Avalon. Suddenly I’m experiencing more pain that I have in a long time. A spruce tree that was mostly buried in the snow caught my left snowshoe and I went down face-first. Evidently, I reacted to the developing situation by putting my arms out to break my fall. I believe my right arm must have caught in the crusty snow but the rest of me wanted to continue. First I heard a very loud snap or pop (no crackle) and then there was the pain. I didn’t know what happened but knew it wasn’t good. While I was laying face-down I could see my right arm in a position that was unusual. I believe this was about the time that I exercised my vocabulary (sorry Sue). After a short time I decided the arm was either broken or the shoulder was dislocated. I didn’t know which the case was but the pain was impressive. Sue wasted no time in coming to my aid and we were able to get me turned around facing feet-first down the hill. Slowly, Sue helped guide me and I slid down to the base of the spur path. At that point I was sure the problem was a dislocated shoulder. Sue had a nylon strap that she used to make a sling to support my arm during the walk out. One of my poles was broken with the fall but since I had only one arm to work with I only needed one pole – I was good. Only 1.8 miles to go and we’re out.
At one point I realized the sling was preventing blood flow to my right hand and we stopped to relieve the situation. The sling was readjusted and we set off again. After a while I was again experiencing blood flow problems. I decided letting my arm hang to my side might be better, hooking my thumb in my pants pocket could possibly stabilize it from excess movement. I also realized changing the arm position was probably going to be really uncomfortable. Sue undid the sling and I lowered my right arm with my left. Slowly I was able to extend it straight down, but I couldn’t hook my thumb into my pocket. I asked Sue to help push my hand to my pocket. As she pushed and I attempted to help as much as I could I felt the shoulder go back together. It didn’t feel very good but it was a relief. I was able to flex my fingers and bend my elbow – a little. This was a great improvement and we were once again on our way. A couple brief stops along the way and we were soon at Crawford Depot.
Off with the snowshoes and we walked to the waiting truck. I was concerned removing my pack would be another unpleasant part of the day but it slid off with no real pain. We packed our things away, I downed some pain medication, gave Sue the keys to the truck, and we headed south.
Everything up to the fall combined to make a great day in the mountains. Thanks Sue for taking care of me. I’m looking forward to our next adventure – can’t wait.
I've posted some pictures from the day.
Straight to the slideshow.
BIGEar's pictures.
Trails: Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Willey Range Trail, Mt. Avalon Spur
I was just walking along minding my own business. Suddenly I’m experiencing more pain that I have in a long time. But, I’m getting ahead of myself…
Trail Trotter (Sue) and I had a plan to complete a loop hike of the Willey Range from Crawford Notch and visit the summit of Mt. Avalon on the way out. We arrived at the pullout on route 302 in Crawford Notch and quickly prepared to get started. The conditions were low clouds, fog, no wind, and a warm temp in the mid 30’s to start. The National Weather Service forecast indicated the conditions were expected to improve through the day. We had the place to ourselves.
We started the day bare booting the hike. The trail was very firm with an inch of wet snow on the surface. On the level section to start traction wasn’t an issue. Within a short time of heading out a solo hiker went past headed for Mount Tom. We met him a couple more times later in the morning. The warm condition was really softening the snow creating traction problems. Soon Sue pulled out her snowshoes. A short time after I was experiencing traction problems and went with crampons. With the traction issue resolved we slowly made our way past the Avalon & A-Z trails junction and onto the height of land on the Willey Range and the Mt. Tom Spur. Along the way we could see places where the solo hiker frequently drifted off the packed trail and managed some impressive postholes. The wind had come up a little so before heading to the summit of Mt. Tom we added a layer. Roughly half way to the summit we came upon the solo hiker headed down with plans to hike Mt. Field and call it a day. On the summit of Mt. Tom the view was limited to the inside of a cloud. We took a couple pictures, explored the area a bit, and headed back to the Willey Range Trail to head south for Field and Willey.
Back at the Willey Range Trail I changed from Crampons to Snowshoes. I could see the other hiker was postholing more and more, clearly it was time for snowshoes. A short distance south on the Willey Range Trail we found the place where the other fellow made the change to snowshoes as well. The Willey Range Trail is in pretty good shape leading to Mt. Field. The snow is very deep and many times we were hiking in treetops. The fog was still drifting through the area with no sign of improving. When we reached the Avalon Trail & Willey Range Trail junction we could see where the solo hiker headed out – must be he is not a peakbagger. In a hundred yards we were on the summit of Mount Field getting a couple more pictures but still no views. No Gray Jays either!
Now the day got a little more interesting. There was no evidence of traffic between Mt. Field and Mt. Willey. The trail was completely drifted in. Most of the blazes are under the level of the snow. The blazes we were able to locate were generally in tough shape. We broke through a snow drift and set off for Mount Willey. The next couple hours was filled with breaking trail, searching for blazes, pushing through treetops, and more. I started the trailbreaking, Sue took over in the middle section, and I was leading again at the end. At more than one point we were unable to find blazes and wandered trying to locate the trail. Consequently, there are a few places where our tracks drift for some distance away from the trail. Anybody following our tracks should always stay right on the way to Mt. Willey. As we were approaching the summit area we lost the trail and drifted to the east. I had been in this area a couple years ago and knew we needed to work our way to the west. Believing we could simply bushwhack our way back on trail we set off. We made several attempts at bushwhacking to the west. Each attempt included being caught in a spruce trap, sometimes several. On one occasion I went in to my shoulders. As I was taking my camera out to have Sue take a picture the snow gave way and she was up to her shoulders. There we were, talking to each other with perhaps ten feet between us and all either of us could see was the other’s head. We’re having fun now!
We backed off from the bushwhacks and backtracked to a position where we found more open conditions. Here we made our move west and soon landed on the trail. There were no blazes at first but it was clearly a trail. Off we went and eventually found a blaze at snow level. We managed to stay with the trail all the way to the summit. The clearing conditions that were forecast were still in the future. A couple pictures and we were on our way back to Mount Field but now we have a trail to follow.
The return hike and re-climb of Mount Field of 1.4 miles and 350 feet went quickly. Soon we were on the summit with food out and still no Gray Jays. After quick refreshment we were heading for Mt. Avalon via the Mt. Avalon Trail. Other hikers had come through and there were now multiple sets of tracks headed down the Avalon Trail. Unfortunately, at least a couple did not have snowshoes.
We made our way without any problem to the Mt. Avalon Spur. The side trip to the summit is only a hundred yards and 100 feet in elevation. Off we went to hit the final summit for the day. Sue had been thinking about her Swiss Bob all day and planned to do some sliding on the way out from Mt. Avalon. She got rid of the snowshoes, secured everything on her pack, and headed down from the summit. Riding a Swiss Bob off the summit of Mt. Avalon looked like a great way to get hurt, not for me – I was walking.
There I was just walking along, minding my own business, hiking down the very steep trail from the summit of Mt. Avalon. Suddenly I’m experiencing more pain that I have in a long time. A spruce tree that was mostly buried in the snow caught my left snowshoe and I went down face-first. Evidently, I reacted to the developing situation by putting my arms out to break my fall. I believe my right arm must have caught in the crusty snow but the rest of me wanted to continue. First I heard a very loud snap or pop (no crackle) and then there was the pain. I didn’t know what happened but knew it wasn’t good. While I was laying face-down I could see my right arm in a position that was unusual. I believe this was about the time that I exercised my vocabulary (sorry Sue). After a short time I decided the arm was either broken or the shoulder was dislocated. I didn’t know which the case was but the pain was impressive. Sue wasted no time in coming to my aid and we were able to get me turned around facing feet-first down the hill. Slowly, Sue helped guide me and I slid down to the base of the spur path. At that point I was sure the problem was a dislocated shoulder. Sue had a nylon strap that she used to make a sling to support my arm during the walk out. One of my poles was broken with the fall but since I had only one arm to work with I only needed one pole – I was good. Only 1.8 miles to go and we’re out.
At one point I realized the sling was preventing blood flow to my right hand and we stopped to relieve the situation. The sling was readjusted and we set off again. After a while I was again experiencing blood flow problems. I decided letting my arm hang to my side might be better, hooking my thumb in my pants pocket could possibly stabilize it from excess movement. I also realized changing the arm position was probably going to be really uncomfortable. Sue undid the sling and I lowered my right arm with my left. Slowly I was able to extend it straight down, but I couldn’t hook my thumb into my pocket. I asked Sue to help push my hand to my pocket. As she pushed and I attempted to help as much as I could I felt the shoulder go back together. It didn’t feel very good but it was a relief. I was able to flex my fingers and bend my elbow – a little. This was a great improvement and we were once again on our way. A couple brief stops along the way and we were soon at Crawford Depot.
Off with the snowshoes and we walked to the waiting truck. I was concerned removing my pack would be another unpleasant part of the day but it slid off with no real pain. We packed our things away, I downed some pain medication, gave Sue the keys to the truck, and we headed south.
Everything up to the fall combined to make a great day in the mountains. Thanks Sue for taking care of me. I’m looking forward to our next adventure – can’t wait.
I've posted some pictures from the day.
Straight to the slideshow.
BIGEar's pictures.
Last edited:
