Mount Avalon (3442 ft) Mount Field (4340 ft) Mount Willey (4285 ft) and Mount Tom (4051 ft) - June 27, 2010

Weather: Overcast, Muggy/Humid

Trails: Avalon Trail, Willey Range Trail, A-Z Trail. 10.4 Miles 3550ft elevation gain.

Trail Conditions: Damp/Wet in many places

Views: Views from atop Avalon facing north over Crawford Notch, Limited views from atop Field facing northwest back to the Mount Washington Hotel, Limited views atop Willey facing west, back into the Pemigewasset Wilderness. If you believe Brian, there are views atop Mt. Tom. No clue which way they face.

Group: Mike, Brian & Anai

This would be my first multiple 4000ft peak trip, not counting Liberty and Flume which I did when I was 12 or 13. We set out to cover Field, Willey, and Tom, all standing over 4000, with a quick side trip to Mt. Avalon, the mounta

in that would produce the best views of the day. For some reason I felt drained of energy from the outset. It may have had something to do with working at scout camp all day Saturday moving 3 yards of gravel and other similar energy draining tasks. It was a very muggy day which didn’t help the energy levels. As I would learn upon returning and reading Smith & Dickerman, we actually did it in reverse of how they suggest. Their route is to hit Tom first off the A-Z trail and Mt. Tom Spur, then pick up the Willey Range Trail to Field, and Willey, then back to Field and down to Mt. Avalon on the Avalon Trail. We did the exact reverse.

Leaving the Crawford Notch Visitors Center we crossed the RR tracks and started up the Avalon Trail. This trail rises gently without great stress for 1.2 miles, with a few stream crossings, to its junction with the A-Z Trail. From here the climb becomes substantially steeper for the remainder of the climb up to Mt. Avalon. A very short spur takes you off the Avalon Trail and up to the top of Mt. Avalon, requiring a small scramble just before the summit. Here are the best views of the hike. We saw our old friends Jackson and Webster from two weeks ago.

Leaving Avalon and continuing along the Avalon trail you quickly find yourself in a very interesting, almost enchanted forest, just before the more serious climb to Field begins. It is a very quiet area with taller trees but little ground scrub. The trail then becomes a steady, but not quite life sucking, climb to the summit of Mt. Field. Mt. Field is mostly treed in but as you summit from Avalon, to the left is an open area with limited views back down into Bretton

Woods and the Mt. Washington Hotel. The view on this day was interesting because over us was completely overcast and there were clouds lower than us over the valley that includes the town of Bretton Woods, but somewhere there was a break in the clouds below and the hotel and surrounding valley was bathed in a hazy sunlight. Here we met Peggy and ???, two self described middle aged moms. Peggy had completed all but Cabot and Owl’s Head in her quest for the 48. Her friend was on her fifth. They started out a few minutes ahead of us on the way to Willey.

From here we picked up the Willey Range Trail along the ridge to Mt. Willey. On the way out to Willey it seemed a bit longer than we expected and certainly longer than the other ridges we had crossed so far this year. We saw one small group of hikers and another lone hiker in this section. Brian was a bit disappointed that we did not catch up to the middle aged moms. We saw them again atop Willey. From here they would continue along Willey Range Trail down to 302 where they hoped to flag a ride back to their car. We backed off the summit a bit to small spot with a view looking back east into the Pemigewasset wilderness where we could rest, eat lunch, and change socks.

We then headed back to Field. This time it was shorter than we remembered it on the way out and we were at the cairn atop Field before we knew it. From here we continued on the Willey Range Trail that connects into the A-Z Trail just before the Mt Tom Spur. By the time we made it to the top of Tom I was ready to motor this trip into the books. Brian went looking for a view; I was headed back down the spur. He cried from the top that he found a view but I had some momentum going and there was no turning back for me on this cloudy, muggy, June day. The call of the Mad River Tavern was just too strong.

We covered the nearly 3-mile descent in good time on the A-Z trail. It includes a couple of interesting stream crossings in deep cuts requiring you to go steeply down, cross the stream, then climb back out again. In these cuts the air is cool from the water. My legs were relieved to meet back up with the Avalon Trail and its more moderate grade.

We left the parking area just about 10:35 AM and returned to the car at 6:30 PM for about 8 hours on the trails which included breaks at each summit including lunch and a sock change.

Of course this trip ended with the long spur trail to the Mad River Tavern.

So the month of June is in the books and with it six 4000 foot peaks: Waumbek, Jackson, Zealand, Field, Willey, and Tom. And in the course of hitting those six we also hit three more mountains: Starr King, Webster, and Avalon. Four hikes, nine mountains, six 4000 footers. Not a bad start.

We plan to kick off July with our most ambitious undertaking yet: Owl’s Head. Seems many people save this one toward the end, and who can blame them. The trek is 18 miles deep into the Pemigewasset Wilderness to the most remote of the 4000 footers with a grueling rock slide trail and no view from the top. Who could ask for more. It will certainly be a test of our resolve. With 18 miles to cover Brian suggested it is best that we get this one done while the days are still long and that makes sense to me.

Mt. Jackson (4052 ft) & Mt. Webster (3910 ft) – June 13, 2006

Weather: The day started out very cloudy below the notches and stayed that way, but above the notches an overcast morning gave way to sun by mid afternoon. Some ominous clouds over Mt. Washington when we hit the Jackson summit never produced rain for us. Sun was shining bright by the time we reached Webster and stayed with us down the mountain.

Trail: Webster Jackson Trail, Webster Cliff Trail. Well maintained and marked trails. Toward the top there is a bit of a hand and foot scramble but nothing too difficult. Scramble on ledges the rest of the way. Descending Jackson on the Webster Cliff Trail (AT) there are some downward scrambles.

View: Great views of Presidentials, Crawford Notch, Mt. Washington Hotel.

Group: Mike, Brian and Anai

We were a bit worried that this might make two rainy hikes in a row. As we set out from the Concord area it was overcast and the forecast predicted it would stay that way with a chance of a thunderstorm. After Waumbek I went out and bought a pack cover. Luckily I wouldn’t need it this day.

Brian had picked me up again from the Exit 17 park & ride. We transferred my gear from my car to his and we were off, again stopping at Price Chopper in Lincoln for my lunch. We swung into the AMC Highlands Center just to check it out. It seems like a great facility. There is a store there where you can pick up any last minute forgotten items or AMC logo gear. On this trip there would be some forgotten items. When I transferred my gear to Brian’s car, the boots somehow got forgotten. When I realized this at trailside I had a few minutes of agonizing at the thought of doing the trail in my New Balance 966 trail walking shoes. I love these shoes and this is my second pair, but I have always used them on flatter surfaces such as the ones I find near home in Bear Brook State Park or the scout camps. Not wanting to scrap the day I decided to make due. Brian forgot his synthetic blend t-shirt. I let him borrow the extra one I carry since it seemed we would stay dry this day. This made us look like we were a hiking team with our matching navy UA shirts and our Gregory packs which have the same color pattern despite being different models (Brian has the z35).

The Jackson Webster Trail has two branches. From Rt. 302 just south of the AMC Highlands Center the trail heads east and then turns south after about .2 miles. After another mile you come to the Silver Cascade and at this point the trail branches to the left (east) to Mt. Jackson and right continue south to Mt. Webster. We decided to bag the 4000 footer first and see what the weather was like before heading for Webster. Up to the Silver Cascade the steepness of the trail varies with some rambling semi-flat sections and some rather steep sections including some rock stairs at points. The cascade is a good place for a photo op and a quick snack.

The last half mile of Jackson becomes progressively steeper until you reach a point where hands are needed to scale some rock faces. This was more fun than it is challenging. Beyond

that it is a quick walk over some rock face to the summit. When we reached the summit there were some slightly worrisome clouds headed towards us over the Presidentials but they never amounted to anything. We took plenty of time at the summit eating lunch and taking in the views. You have views in all directions from Jackson but most notable are the views of the Presidentials, and the valley that includes Bretton Woods and the Mt. Washington Hotel.

From there we took the Webster Cliff Trail southwest toward Mt. Webster. Coming off Jackson this involves several sections of downwards scramble, again more fun than challenging. This is a beautiful trail, blazed in white as part of the AT. When we reached Webster the sun was shining. Webster has some great views down on Crawford Notch, the trestles RR bridge, Mt Willey and Mt. Field to the East. Web has a rock slide on its west face that you stand directly over at the summit. Great photo op location if you don’t mind heights.

After Web we came down on the south branch of the Webster Jackson Trail. You cross the

cascade again, only in a prettier spot with a waterfall – great photo op location.

The rest of the hike down was uneventful. Brian says this will be his among his recommendations for troops looking for 5+ mile hike suggestions. I agree this one has a lot to offer. The climb is interesting and the forest you walk through is beautiful. The views are excellent on both Jackson and Webster.

Leaving Crawford Notch the sun was shining brightly. As we hit Franconia we could see clouds looming over Cannon. Evidently the clouds never left Southern NH all day. It was a long ride to the Mad River Tavern this time. I went with the bourbon steak tips this time. They were good but I could have used more steak tips and less cauliflower and fries.

Gear Notes

On Saturday I went to REI in Reading MA and bought some trekking poles and a pack cover. I have no experience to report yet on the REI pack cover.

LEKI Trekking Poles: I have nothing to compare them to since Jackson was the first time I used poles. The poles I purchased (At REI in Reading, MA) have clamps on the pole extensions, what they call the speed lock system, rather than a twisting lock mechanism which was on certain Leki poles and all the REI poles. I had a tough time getting the twisting lock mechanism to work in the store so I wanted ones that clamped. I opted not to get antishock due to cost. I went with the cork covered grips for better wicking. In all, if you have any knee issues and have never tried poles I highly recommend them. I am looking forward to my next hike with Leki’s.

NB 966: How about my very well-broken-in New Balance 966 trail walking shoes (see blog masthead)? Despite my agonizing at the trailhead about forgetting my boots, the NB 966's ended up being almost perfect for this hike. A little more ankle support would have been nice in the last half mile or so but otherwise I had no regrets about forgetting my boots back in the Jeep. The NB 966's do have a decent tread and held up well on the trails of Jackson & Webster with no major loss of traction.