MARI
New member
Trails covered: Avalon to A-Z, to Mt. Tom Spur to Willey Range to Ethan Pond to Kedron Flume Trail.
Total distance : 8.3 m.
Difficulty: moderately paced throughout with deep descents down from Willey which were slippery and wet.
Conditions: beautiful clear day with some gusty winds especially on top of Field. Otherwise perfectly cool conditions - no special equipment needed other than the dog leash and an extra fleece.
The Report:
At 9:00 am the morning began with Mtn Magic regretting the brewed beverages he had consumed the previous night, but soon he was well adjusted and we started out on our trip. Up the Avalon trail we ran into several hikers who shared their various goals for the day. A couple of brook crossings, and once we neared the summitt of Tom, we could see our breath in the chilly air. We met up with solo hiker Allison - You go girl- near the summitt and a discussion ensued about the pitfalls of women hiking alone. Soon, there will be a thread to delve into this subject further, I promise. Upon reaching the summit of Tom at 11:20, a vista opened up and clear views accross to Washington were splendid. Two hikers were at the top with their canine- Sandy, whom Ghost Dog took an instant dislike. Yes, a knock down drag out dog fight erupted with Mtn Magic wrestling G.D. to the ground with a short leash. (She definetly had to be kept on one). Accross the valley we noticed the billowing smoke from the cog railway heading up a snow capped Washington. A discussion followed about how many "moons" might be revealed to the passengers on the cog. A theory relating to the number of "moonings" and the piles of thrown coal from the railway engineers might reveal an equation as to an approximate figure. Well, you just can't argue with traditions, such as these. Sensing the tension between the mutts, we descended quickly and were at the trail junction for Willey Range.
The elevation gain was very gradual, although the welcoming sign stating "100 yards to summit" seemed a bit lengthier than a mere 100 yards. We met up with several other hikers on the summit of Field at 12:20 and enjoyed lunch though the winds brought the temperatures down to probably 40 degrees. Some photos were snapped and discussion with the others hiker there about the correct pronounciations of words like: Kancamagus and Willey to name a few. At 1:10 we left Field, bundled up for the final ascent to Willey which we reached at 2:00. Though , at first we believed we had accomplished this feat, but saw no markers. Soon, though we found the 'real" summit with a cairn, and we stopped for pictures. The views were spectacular. From there, a couple of well-fed Canada Jays tracked us down as we took the deep plunge down Willey toward the Ethan Pond trail. The jays took some walnuts from my hands and followed us a few hundred yards until they spotted Ghost Dog and figured they didn't want to mess with her. (Maybe they watched her take down Sandy on Mt Tom) .
Very slippery and steep coming down Willey - a few ladders, lots of mud and much tripping over tree root sytems proved to be a killer on the knees.
The Kedron Flume trail took us all the way down to Willey house with some gushing waterfalls along the way where Ghost Dog stopped for a drink. We reached the Willey House at 4:00 and headed out.
All in all a great day for a "first of the season" hike in the Whites. Maybe Ghost Dog will be receiving some conflict intervention skills to help her social life with the other dogs. Otherwise she is a delight to have on the trails and is happy meeting up with the many folks we bump into. A fun day with Mtn Magic who never once said "Life is Good". (Maybe he forgot). Happy Trails everyone!
Total distance : 8.3 m.
Difficulty: moderately paced throughout with deep descents down from Willey which were slippery and wet.
Conditions: beautiful clear day with some gusty winds especially on top of Field. Otherwise perfectly cool conditions - no special equipment needed other than the dog leash and an extra fleece.
The Report:
At 9:00 am the morning began with Mtn Magic regretting the brewed beverages he had consumed the previous night, but soon he was well adjusted and we started out on our trip. Up the Avalon trail we ran into several hikers who shared their various goals for the day. A couple of brook crossings, and once we neared the summitt of Tom, we could see our breath in the chilly air. We met up with solo hiker Allison - You go girl- near the summitt and a discussion ensued about the pitfalls of women hiking alone. Soon, there will be a thread to delve into this subject further, I promise. Upon reaching the summit of Tom at 11:20, a vista opened up and clear views accross to Washington were splendid. Two hikers were at the top with their canine- Sandy, whom Ghost Dog took an instant dislike. Yes, a knock down drag out dog fight erupted with Mtn Magic wrestling G.D. to the ground with a short leash. (She definetly had to be kept on one). Accross the valley we noticed the billowing smoke from the cog railway heading up a snow capped Washington. A discussion followed about how many "moons" might be revealed to the passengers on the cog. A theory relating to the number of "moonings" and the piles of thrown coal from the railway engineers might reveal an equation as to an approximate figure. Well, you just can't argue with traditions, such as these. Sensing the tension between the mutts, we descended quickly and were at the trail junction for Willey Range.
The elevation gain was very gradual, although the welcoming sign stating "100 yards to summit" seemed a bit lengthier than a mere 100 yards. We met up with several other hikers on the summit of Field at 12:20 and enjoyed lunch though the winds brought the temperatures down to probably 40 degrees. Some photos were snapped and discussion with the others hiker there about the correct pronounciations of words like: Kancamagus and Willey to name a few. At 1:10 we left Field, bundled up for the final ascent to Willey which we reached at 2:00. Though , at first we believed we had accomplished this feat, but saw no markers. Soon, though we found the 'real" summit with a cairn, and we stopped for pictures. The views were spectacular. From there, a couple of well-fed Canada Jays tracked us down as we took the deep plunge down Willey toward the Ethan Pond trail. The jays took some walnuts from my hands and followed us a few hundred yards until they spotted Ghost Dog and figured they didn't want to mess with her. (Maybe they watched her take down Sandy on Mt Tom) .
Very slippery and steep coming down Willey - a few ladders, lots of mud and much tripping over tree root sytems proved to be a killer on the knees.
The Kedron Flume trail took us all the way down to Willey house with some gushing waterfalls along the way where Ghost Dog stopped for a drink. We reached the Willey House at 4:00 and headed out.
All in all a great day for a "first of the season" hike in the Whites. Maybe Ghost Dog will be receiving some conflict intervention skills to help her social life with the other dogs. Otherwise she is a delight to have on the trails and is happy meeting up with the many folks we bump into. A fun day with Mtn Magic who never once said "Life is Good". (Maybe he forgot). Happy Trails everyone!
