Mts. Tom, Field & Avalon Hike

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

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 wonderland! Bag two 4,000 footers.

ROUTE: The Avalon Trail, will be our first section of the loop. We climb towards the steep end of the valley, which is essentially a glacial cirque with a wooded headwall. We'll continue forward on the A-Z Trail when the Avalon Trail turns left [we will return back to this junction.] In a half mile we begin the steep, rough 0.5 mile climb that will take us up the height-of-land between Mount Tom and Mount Field. We'll take the 0.5 mile spur trail that climbs up to Mount Tom's summit. We'll retrace our steps to the A-Z Trail and hook up with the Willey Range Trail, which branches left toward Mt. Field. Through close growths of fir, spruce, and birch, we'll begin a 1 mile hike in a winter wonderland to Mount Field's summit. We return to the Avalon Trail for the descent. We'll take a side trail that leads to the summit of Mt. Avalon for a bird's eye view of Crawford Notch below. After Mt. Avalon, the trail will drop rapidly to the junction with the A-Z Trail.  

STATS: Approximately 8 miles with 2800' feet of elevation gain.

GEAR:  Appropriate winter gear required.  This must include insulated winter boots (no 3 season hiking boots, no exceptions), MicroSpikes, snowshoes, NON COTTON layers of clothing, a pack big enough to hold even the clothes you take off once you warm up.  No hydration systems.  Bring a headlamp or flashlight because we may be hiking out in the dark. Don’t forget lunch and snacks.

PACE:  This will be a group hike at a moderate pace; we will stay together and the slowest hiker will set the pace.  If you are unable to control your pace, enjoy great company, and hike with the team then please don't come.

HIKE PLANNING INFO:  We will send out an e-mail a few days before about the weather forecast and additional details.

After The Hike: Everyone is welcome to join us back our house for dinner. It's $10 per person to pay for our food cost; please note price increase. You may want to bring a change of clothing to be more comfortable and you can use our showers.

Lodging Option: We have 8 bunks available at our house near Waterville Valley, NH for Friday and/or Saturday night. Please note the 2016 price increases: Friday night is $25 and Saturday night is $35 [includes dinner]. Coffee/bagels each morning and linen/blankets/towels are provided. We have limited space in the fridge to store your beverages/food so it's best to bring a small cooler. Space is limited so email us ASAP to reserve a bunk!