Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Tom, Mt. Field, Mt. Willey, Mt. Avalon, NH |
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| Trails: |
Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Willey Range Trail, Cascade Loop |
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| Date of Hike: |
Saturday, October 2, 2021 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Crawford Notch was surprisingly pretty empty around 7am so I got a spot right at the depot by the trailhead. Sure enough it was quite full when I got done just shy of 1pm though. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossings were all hopable but of course with it raining the rocks were slick. I find the first crossing on the A-Z Trail to be awkward. |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Avalon and A-Z trails are both occasionally blazed in yellow I believe. They are well trodden and easy to follow. Willey Range Trail has the occasional blue blaze as it connects with the AT. It’s well trodden and easy to follow but could be trimmed back between Field and Willey. There is a blowdown between the two that sits atop the trail almost 6ft in the air. Very easy to duck under unless you’re super tall. Hopefully it will get taken care of at some point. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one on a leash. These trails seem doable for hiking dogs. |
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| Bugs: |
None |
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| Lost and Found: |
I found a pack cover between Field and Willey, picked it up, and sure enough the owner came back up the trail looking for it and took it off my hands :) |
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| Comments: |
My first 3 4000 footers of the month out of 24 needed this month. I was going to do Pierce and Jackson after but took longer than I anticipated on TFW and had someplace I wanted to be in the afternoon so I opted not to. It’s not like I was cold and wet and a big part of me wanted to be done anyway ;P
I tried something new and since 1) it was a cold start in the mid 40s and 2) was supposed to be raining when I started, I decided to start with my rain pants and rain jacket on since, if I don’t start with the pants on, I never want to put them on and get soaked. Sure enough, I got too hot. Oh well. The name of the game I guess.
It started off just drizzling/sprinkling and then became light-moderate rain in short bursts. It tapered off mostly by the time I reached Mt Tom Spur and didn’t pick up again until I was down at Mt Avalon. Although it wasn’t raining hard, everything was quite soaked and the rocks quite slick and I fell a few times. I suppose I was glad to be in boots rather than trail runners for once between the cold, wetness, and more or less unavoidable (but not terribly deep) mud on the trail in some spots between Field and Willey.
Nice to run into John, now two Saturday’s in a row, on Field. On my way down, I took the short spur to Mt Avalon as I hadn’t done it for my second round of redlining. There were actually some views on the summit much to my surprise! The clouds were actually fairly high...maybe around 3800ft. So I actually got to look across the street toward Webster Cliffs :) Nice to meet and chat with Dan here. Ran into many people on my way down without rain gear, in shorts, on their way up Avalon when they meant to be headed to Willard, etc. A bit scary!! |
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| Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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| E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-10-03 |
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| Link: |
https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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