| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Tom, Mt. Field, Mt. Willey, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Willey Range Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, May 29, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Avalon .3 miles, easy hop over, .6 miles, look up stream 80 feet for an easier crossing. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Avalon waterbars have been cleared, blow downs cut through. Willey Range from Field to Willey is perhaps the most overgrown trail I have evervhiked. Spruce almost touching in spots and easily on both shoulders most of way. Needs significant pruning. Prepared to get soaked after an evening of rain. Waterbars on the other trails? Non existent and desperately needed. I picked up virtually every stick not frozen in the mrails on every trail |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a couple with two dogs. Not getting on my soapbox about loose dogs on trails. Baffles me when they take them on trails particularly with mrails and postholing. Unbelievable. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Trash - Wrappers, hand warmers, etc. |
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 | Comments: |
21, 22, 23 peaks for me. Shocking there is no report on this loop in 10 days. 44 degrees at 8:30 start, foggy and socked in all day. 10.1, book time 7:45ish, completed in 7:00. Saw 6 other parties. Beautiful day, first spring hike of season. Felt guilty about hiking in such muddy conditions and helping to destroy the trails, but everybody has lost 2-3 weeks to this late spring.
Very "muddy" in first .5 miles, essentially churned up leaves. Stream crossings on Avalon reported in that section. When you get on A-Z you see your first snow around 3,000, a massive snow field, this is where you cross the stream you have followed. Very difficult to see as the blazes are extremely faded. I and many others followed the stream on the wrong back for a bit. Mt Tom spur is extremely muddy, better have waterproof boots. First monorails seen, very stable (as are all the others on every trail) and there are only 2-3 just 25-50 yds each.
Willey Range to Field - essentially a stream most of the way from the melting mrails, and there are many. Stay in the center of the rail, it is very stable, but very narrow in spots. You are on and off, on and off, and the mrails disappear and reappear constantly. Had spikes, never wore them, more of a pain to put on and off. Don't recall a single waterbar on this 1 mile stretch as it is mostly ledge the whole way.
Willey Range to Willey - I was kicking it back and still crushing the book time until this round trip stretch. (AMC frequently is very conservative on the steeper stuff and VERY aggressive on some ridge walks, this "50 minute" stretch would be a power walk for anybody with a clear trail). That aside, this section has even more mrails, lots. Again stable, but even narrower. Most have been averaging 2-3', but here, I saw them as high as 5'. This was a VERY long roundtrip to Willey. Just take your time and stay on the center rail, you won't posthole (in the next few days) unless you stray or lose your balance. Even when I did, I only went in a foot, but you can see some over 3'.
Avalon to A-Z - Brutal is the only word. My thought was the dampness would have dried by the afternoon, but the cooler temps and no sun didn't do it. I rarely ever fall and did so about 4 times. Not my Asolo's fault, it was the moss on rocks, and very eroded roots. The kicker, there is a mrail on this "steep" trail for nearly .5 miles, I would estimate, the longest by far on any trail. I feared there might be one on this trail as it has a northern exposure. Again, maybe should have worn spikes, but never did slip on the snow, just dug my heels in. Only noticed a few waterbars and some were not functioning, a couple went "uphill" out of the trail, again, needs significantly more.
I'm telling you, even with days in the 70's, I will be willing to bet there are still significant mrails in the Whites after June 15, unbelievable. When it starts warming up, the conditions of the mrails will be a totally different story. Please post the conditions for others, as these conditions may change daily. Hope the detailed report is helpful. |
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 | Name: |
Kelly |
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 | E-Mail: |
luvmaine@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-05-30 |
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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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