Trip report

Mts. Tom, Field & Avalon Hike

Hiking/Walk DATE: 01/30/2016 - 01/30/2016

Trip/Event Location: Bretton Woods, NH
US

Trip Leader(s): Gandalf , JDNnh

Max # People: 15

Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money

Difficulty Level: Moderate to Strenuous

Mt. Tom [4285 ft.] has a couple fine vantage points and Mt. Avalon [3442 ft.] commands fine views into the Presidentials! Mt. Field [4340 ft.] has limited views but the hike to it is a winter

...
Driving directions to the location and spot to meet at:

We'll meet at the AMC Highland Center parking lot, off US 302 in Crawford Notch. To reach the parking lot from Twin Mountain, at the junction of US 3 and US 302 take US 302 east, pass the Mt. Washington Hotel, and you'll see the AMC Highland Center a few miles later on the right. We'll be driving a blue FJ Cruiser.

 


Trip Report/Photos
Featured Photo

We headed out for Tom, Field, and Avalon. We got to the Highland Center at 9AM. We knew that we'd have plenty of day light to play in. We had a blast going up the Avalon Trail from the Depot. We love the snow! The trail is well packed from the AMC center traffic. This circuit is so well traveled that all we need is MicroSpikes. We also know that we won't be alone on the trails today either. 

The first crossing of Crawford Brook was snow bridged. We start climbing the trail and arrive at the next crossing using snow bridges to connect the rocks. I see that the sky is playing with the color palette nicely. There's some blue skies mixing in too. I take a deep breath and drink it all in! 

Continuing to the trail junction, the trail is still well packed. With 2 inches of fresh snow overnight we were walking in a winter wonderland!  We take the next section of elevation gain. I'm huffing and puffing just a bit at this point. We are having a great time! My mind is wandering here and there but my eyes continue to scan the landscape which is so beautifully winter today. At the Junction for the A-Z and Avalon Trails, we fork right on A-Z trail with an ascent where the upper rim of the cirque appears in that direction. We are heading to Mt. Tom first which means a lot of climbing elevation. The snow pack is solid but with a fresh coat too. Just not enough at this point to warrant anything but spikes. Continuing to climb, the woods are so very quiet. It's pretty much and up and down trail with some good steep ups and generally very few flatter sections. My mind is thinking of other plans for the day. First we’re mounting Tom, then Mount Field.  

The scenery is just breathtaking! As is the elevation gain. :-) We begin the last push to the Mt. Tom Spur and hit that stride. That feeling of "I got this" hits us as we stand by the spur sign. It always happens. Once we get up to a ridge or a flatter section, I know that I'll be OK with the bulk of the elevation gain behind me. We then take the Mt. Spur Trail. It's .6 to the top of Mt. Tom from here and the trail is easy. Everything being covered with snow makes it that way. We break out onto the summit and take a side path to the right which brings us to an open area of spruce/fir blowdowns, with a view southeast towards Mounts Field and Carrigain. We them make our way over to the Summit Cairn and the views of Zealand Notch, Twins and the Bonds. Success! There is swirling undercast beneath the peaks and we get some pretty decent views of the surrounding peaks. A group came from behind us and ask them to take our picture. The wind is starting to pick up so we scoot down the trail again and decided to have lunch at the first view we stopped at. Jon fed an aggressive Gray Jay that was quite entertaining!  

We then head to Mount Field on the Wiley Range Trail. This section going to Field has a gradual gain to start and the trees are covered with snow. Still a consolidated trail I love walking this section because the snow sticks to EVERYTHING. It's such a beautiful day and we are finally past the majority of the climbing. We are enjoying ourselves! Wind is almost nonexistent and the ice is minimal on the trail. We reach the 100 years to Field sign... Time to push up to the summit. Which is where all the people are! It was nice chatting with everyone one on Mt. Field.  There was a side path to the north were we looked towards a panorama of summits from Mt. Jefferson – Washington, Eisenhower, Jackson, Webster and Crawford Notch. There were another set of Gray Jays on this summit that we fed.

We then took the Avalon trail down to the junction of the A to Z trail. Its 1.5 miles total and it's steep. There was enough snow where could butt slide on some sections! We reached the junction for the Avalon Trail in in 100 yards reached a bird’s eye view of Crawford Notch 1,500 feet below. After this junction there were a few more long sections of butt sliding with twists and turns that made it feel like a bobsled run. We’re laughing all the way through. We landed back at the car at 2:30pm... Not a bad day for us starting at 9:00AM. We were pleased and got down before it got dark. It was time to act on our final thoughts.... Coffee at the Highland Center!

The trail provides us a sense of accomplishment. We went for a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees! 

Trip Report ~ Mike Boisvert
Pictures Taken By ~ Jon Normand

What Members Are Saying About This Trip/Event

  • Our day began w/a beautiful sunrise. The hike upwards rewarded us w/a winter wonderland. The sunset brought us full circle. It was a great day in the mountains. - JDNnh
  • Thanks Gentlemen for another terrific hike. I so love winter and the gift of winter hiking. The snowscape cannot be described - it is an experience that must be absorbed. My soul is set for the week, no better way than to relax and recharge. Cheers!! - Robert.L

Members That Participated

Gandalf

Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous


Thornton, NH


United States

Attended
JDNnh

Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous


Thornton, NH


United States

Attended
Robert.L

Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous


Bowdoin, ME


United States

Attended
vvv

Outdoor Fitness Level: Easy


city, IA


United States
JDNnh Feb 1, 2016 at 4:21 PM

Comment: Our day began w/a beautiful sunrise. The hike upwards rewarded us w/a winter wonderland. The sunset brought us full circle. It was a great day in the mountains.

Robert.L Jan 31, 2016 at 8:00 PM

Comment: Thanks Gentlemen for another terrific hike. I so love winter and the gift of winter hiking. The snowscape cannot be described - it is an experience that must be absorbed. My soul is set for the week, no better way than to relax and recharge. Cheers!!

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