| 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 Trail, Willey Range Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 3, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Easy & close parking to Avalon trailhead, probably due to the weather forecast and I got there early. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Water levels were moderate, even with the recent rains. All crossings were pretty easy & mostly kept my boots dry. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Looked like some long-term mud spots on all of the trails that probably don’t really get a chance to dry out. Some herd paths going around the larger ones are widening the trail a little. Some blowdowns across all of the trails, but they were easy walk overs/unders. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a couple who seemed to be having a great hike. I have no idea how they got up/down the rock slide section and steeps on the south side of Field though. |
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 | Bugs: |
Not bad at all considering the dampness everywhere. A few buzzed me, but no bites. The bug spray went for a ride. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Found various bits & pieces of trash that I packed down and properly disposed of. |
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 | Comments: |
Started out on Avalon around 7:00 and made good time (for me) to the summit of Mt. Tom. The water crossings were easy & only saw a few people. Merged onto A-Z where the grade picked up and there were a couple of blowdown duck-unders. Mt. Tom Spur was pretty wet with some mud & steeper sections, but no real issues. Pretty good hike so far.
Came back down to the trail junction & started up Willey Range Trail which I really liked. Moderate grade, some spotty views, and only a few muddy spots. Some sections of the trail were worn down to granite slab which was fine going up, but could be pretty slick when wet going down.
Summitted Field and enjoyed the views toward Mt. Washington Hotel while grabbing a snack & water break, then continued on to Willey. I think I underestimated the Willey Range Trail on the southern side of Field though - there were some steep rock scrambles & a section with loose rock slide that was fun but difficult.
Summitted Willey and took another snack/water break, then headed back to Field. The same rock scrambles and slide areas hit different going up them on the way back to Field. Definitely a little sketchier, but still fun!
Got to the Willey Range/Avalon Trail junction & headed down to Avalon. I think it’s safe to say I underestimated this part of the descent too. Lots of wet, bare rock and roots for footing. Really took my time getting down to Avalon to avoid slip sliding away. I thought I reached Avalon when I came across a small cairn in a clearing, but it didn’t match the views I had read about, so I continued down until I saw the actual sign stating “Mt. Avalon 100 yards”. Ding ding ding, we have a winner!! The ACTUAL summit of Avalon held up to its reputation, awesome views!
Headed down to the Avalon /A-Z junction and back over the water crossings where I took a few minutes to lay down in the stream. I was getting pretty burnt at this point, so the cool water felt great and gave me enough of an energy bump to get back down to the trailhead. Awesome day!!! |
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 | Name: |
Dad Out There |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-08-04 |
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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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