BIGEarl
Well-known member
January 30, 2010: Willey Range plus Avalon
Trails: Avalon Trail, Avalon Spur, Willey Range Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur
Summits: Avalon, Field, Willey, Tom
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), KPMMBM (Keith), Loanshark (Skip), James, and me
The plan for the day was simple; hike the Willey Range as a loop from Crawford Notch. If conditions were good we planned to also make a stop at Mount Avalon on the way through. It’s hard to imagine better hiking conditions. The weather was perfect and the trails were in great shape. We all met at the Highland Center for our start. While we were going through our final prep Rocket21 (Jeremy Clark) pulled in and decided to join us as well (for a while). Also arriving to the Highland Center and parking nearby were Fran and Karen – great to meet both of you. The sky was completely clear, there was no wind (not even a light breeze), and the temperature was a comfy -12 degrees. Perfect hiking conditions.
Our group plus Jeremy set off a little later than planned at ~8:30am; A short distance behind was Fran and Karen. We leapfrogged each other a few times but finally established a hiking order by the time we reached the Avalon and A-Z trails junction. Jeremy led our group until he was up to temperature. Once warmed up, Jeremy was off like a Rocket (no pun intended). The sun on our backs felt great as we hiked along and we all were pretty warm in no time. As the trail contoured around the north side of Avalon we were in the shade but knew the sun would be back soon. Both crossings on the Avalon Trail are solid even though their appearance may seem otherwise. We reached the trail junction and went left, continuing up the Avalon Trail. From here the trail gets steep. We all lifted the televators and climbed to the Avalon Spur. We were all doing great, the conditions were still completely calm, and there was no reason to skip Avalon. We made the turn and climbed to the summit of Avalon to enjoy the terrific views. Even though there was no wind and completely clear sky the temperature was still cold and we couldn’t stand around for an extended period. Soon we were headed back to the Avalon Trail and our climb to the Willey Range Trail.
Between Avalon and the Willey Range Trail we found more good hiking conditions. There were several blowdowns generally at the higher elevations approaching the ridge. All were easy to step over or there was a tracked out route bypassing the problem area. Soon, we were at the junction of the Avalon and Willey Range trails; to the left was Mount Field, and to the right was a trail with a light dusting of unbroken powder (perhaps an inch or two). We went left chasing Jeremy, Fran, and Karen. As we made our final approach to the Willey Range Trail and Mount Field we began to feel an occasional light breeze – what a day! After a quick stop on Field for summit pictures and some refreshment that was shared with the local Jay population, we were headed south for Mount Willey.
The exit from Field is pretty tight. The snow depth has all of the high branches now at head level. We all stooped and made our way through to open trail and took off. There is no confusion at all in the hike between Field and Willey. A single snowshoe track leads the way with none of the usual diversions from hikers trail finding. The trail is generally clear and solid with no ice at all and no postholes. Currently there’s great snowshoeing on the Willey Range. As we were on final approach to Willey we first met Jeremy and then at the summit of Willey we met Fran and Karen in the process of leaving. We stopped for more views, pictures, and lunch. We also made a visit to the outlook below the summit area. While we were on Willey a couple wind gusts came through but we were still being treated to generally calm conditions. The temperature on Skip’s pack thermometer showed 5 degrees.
Eventually it was time to leave; we u-turned and headed north for our hike to Mount Tom. The re-hike to Mount Field was little more than a pleasant walk. On the way we met a large group headed south with most on snowshoes but some bare booters in the mix. They didn’t appear to be causing much trail damage. On Field we made another short stop, again met Fran and Karen, and were soon on the long downhill run to Mount Tom. On the way to Mount Tom we met a large number of hikers. In all, throughout the day we met around thirty hikers on snowshoes and a couple more that were bare booting their hikes. Everybody was out enjoying the terrific conditions.
We reached the A-Z trail junction, and headed to the Mount Tom Spur. There, we met six others that were taking a break in their day. After a short visit we were headed for Mount Tom and our final target for the day. The Mount Tom Spur is clear and well tracked out. The ice bulges that usually exist on the steep climbs are not there and we had great snowshoe conditions all the way to the summit. When we reached the summit we found our friend Jeremy. The Mount Tom Spur had seen quite a bit of traffic that day but Jeremy pointed out that none of the prior visitors actually went to the summit area. We were the only ones to break the snow in that direction. Funny, Sue and I had a similar experience a couple months ago. Except to the purist, it probably doesn’t really matter.
We got the usual summit shots, stood around for a while to enjoy the views, and were soon making our exit run back to Crawford Notch and the Highland Center. The exit hike was more of the same that had been enjoyed all day; great weather conditions, great trail conditions, and great company. We reached the trailhead at Crawford Depot well ahead of plan for the day. The Highland Center was a very busy place in the morning as we were leaving on our hike and nothing had changed except people were now leaving instead of arriving. We quickly packed our things, warmed the vehicles, said our goodbye’s and hit the highway for our drive south.
What a great day we had to enjoy; comfortable hiking temperature, unlimited sun, and no wind. There’s no way to improve that combination. It was good to hike with Keith and Skip again and terrific to meet James. Hopefully we’ll all share more trail miles together. As always, thanks to Sue for a fun hike. It was definitely a great day in the mountains.
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictures from the hike.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Avalon Trail, Avalon Spur, Willey Range Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur
Summits: Avalon, Field, Willey, Tom
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), KPMMBM (Keith), Loanshark (Skip), James, and me
The plan for the day was simple; hike the Willey Range as a loop from Crawford Notch. If conditions were good we planned to also make a stop at Mount Avalon on the way through. It’s hard to imagine better hiking conditions. The weather was perfect and the trails were in great shape. We all met at the Highland Center for our start. While we were going through our final prep Rocket21 (Jeremy Clark) pulled in and decided to join us as well (for a while). Also arriving to the Highland Center and parking nearby were Fran and Karen – great to meet both of you. The sky was completely clear, there was no wind (not even a light breeze), and the temperature was a comfy -12 degrees. Perfect hiking conditions.
Our group plus Jeremy set off a little later than planned at ~8:30am; A short distance behind was Fran and Karen. We leapfrogged each other a few times but finally established a hiking order by the time we reached the Avalon and A-Z trails junction. Jeremy led our group until he was up to temperature. Once warmed up, Jeremy was off like a Rocket (no pun intended). The sun on our backs felt great as we hiked along and we all were pretty warm in no time. As the trail contoured around the north side of Avalon we were in the shade but knew the sun would be back soon. Both crossings on the Avalon Trail are solid even though their appearance may seem otherwise. We reached the trail junction and went left, continuing up the Avalon Trail. From here the trail gets steep. We all lifted the televators and climbed to the Avalon Spur. We were all doing great, the conditions were still completely calm, and there was no reason to skip Avalon. We made the turn and climbed to the summit of Avalon to enjoy the terrific views. Even though there was no wind and completely clear sky the temperature was still cold and we couldn’t stand around for an extended period. Soon we were headed back to the Avalon Trail and our climb to the Willey Range Trail.
Between Avalon and the Willey Range Trail we found more good hiking conditions. There were several blowdowns generally at the higher elevations approaching the ridge. All were easy to step over or there was a tracked out route bypassing the problem area. Soon, we were at the junction of the Avalon and Willey Range trails; to the left was Mount Field, and to the right was a trail with a light dusting of unbroken powder (perhaps an inch or two). We went left chasing Jeremy, Fran, and Karen. As we made our final approach to the Willey Range Trail and Mount Field we began to feel an occasional light breeze – what a day! After a quick stop on Field for summit pictures and some refreshment that was shared with the local Jay population, we were headed south for Mount Willey.
The exit from Field is pretty tight. The snow depth has all of the high branches now at head level. We all stooped and made our way through to open trail and took off. There is no confusion at all in the hike between Field and Willey. A single snowshoe track leads the way with none of the usual diversions from hikers trail finding. The trail is generally clear and solid with no ice at all and no postholes. Currently there’s great snowshoeing on the Willey Range. As we were on final approach to Willey we first met Jeremy and then at the summit of Willey we met Fran and Karen in the process of leaving. We stopped for more views, pictures, and lunch. We also made a visit to the outlook below the summit area. While we were on Willey a couple wind gusts came through but we were still being treated to generally calm conditions. The temperature on Skip’s pack thermometer showed 5 degrees.
Eventually it was time to leave; we u-turned and headed north for our hike to Mount Tom. The re-hike to Mount Field was little more than a pleasant walk. On the way we met a large group headed south with most on snowshoes but some bare booters in the mix. They didn’t appear to be causing much trail damage. On Field we made another short stop, again met Fran and Karen, and were soon on the long downhill run to Mount Tom. On the way to Mount Tom we met a large number of hikers. In all, throughout the day we met around thirty hikers on snowshoes and a couple more that were bare booting their hikes. Everybody was out enjoying the terrific conditions.
We reached the A-Z trail junction, and headed to the Mount Tom Spur. There, we met six others that were taking a break in their day. After a short visit we were headed for Mount Tom and our final target for the day. The Mount Tom Spur is clear and well tracked out. The ice bulges that usually exist on the steep climbs are not there and we had great snowshoe conditions all the way to the summit. When we reached the summit we found our friend Jeremy. The Mount Tom Spur had seen quite a bit of traffic that day but Jeremy pointed out that none of the prior visitors actually went to the summit area. We were the only ones to break the snow in that direction. Funny, Sue and I had a similar experience a couple months ago. Except to the purist, it probably doesn’t really matter.
We got the usual summit shots, stood around for a while to enjoy the views, and were soon making our exit run back to Crawford Notch and the Highland Center. The exit hike was more of the same that had been enjoyed all day; great weather conditions, great trail conditions, and great company. We reached the trailhead at Crawford Depot well ahead of plan for the day. The Highland Center was a very busy place in the morning as we were leaving on our hike and nothing had changed except people were now leaving instead of arriving. We quickly packed our things, warmed the vehicles, said our goodbye’s and hit the highway for our drive south.
What a great day we had to enjoy; comfortable hiking temperature, unlimited sun, and no wind. There’s no way to improve that combination. It was good to hike with Keith and Skip again and terrific to meet James. Hopefully we’ll all share more trail miles together. As always, thanks to Sue for a fun hike. It was definitely a great day in the mountains.
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictures from the hike.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Last edited:
