Mt. Field....Almost

[montvm]

Date(s) Hiked: Feb 28 2008

Trails(s) Hiked:Avaolon, A-Z trail, Willey Range Trail

Total Distance:6.8, 2300 Ft. elev. gain

Difficulty: Moderate some steep sections

Conditions: Very cold , Avalon and A-Z trail unbroken, Willey Range trail all unbroken, 10-12 inches of fluffy stuff, some drifts on Willey Range Trail
Special Required Equipment: Cold weather gear, flotation, hot soup for false summit.

Trip Report: Fresh powder was the order of the Day. My buddy Matt and I reached the trail head at Crawford Depot at 9:30AM. Air temp was a brisk 8F and would continue to drop as the day went on. Matt and I broke trail together headed to Willey Range trail junctions. We did not reach the trail Junction until 1:51 pm, so needless to say the going was a slow slog. We decided to continue for the summit of Field, another .9 miles hoping that the terrain would flatten out and it would be easier. The terrain does flatten out a bit but it is still a steady uphill climb, and the snow was much deeper with many drifts. I was breaking the trail at this point pretty far ahead of my buddy matt and reached the top of the false summit with some views of the Presidential's off my left shoulder obscured by the clouds. I continued along the shoulder of this false summit and then the trail began to descend a bit and through the tree’s I could see the summit. I’m assuming that the summit was probably .2 of a mile further and the trail continued to a Cole before ascending to the summit. I waited 20 minutes for Matt and no sign of him. I began to get cold standing there so I headed back to find him wondering if he was ok. It turns out that he was but he was getting wicked leg cramps. We broke out the tomato soup, drank our fill and then asessed out situation. It was 2:15, Matt was getting cramps, my knee was killing me, (not sure why), and my wife expected a call before it was dark. She is not ok with me hiking out in the dark.

We decided that that Mt. Field would be there next time. Good choice as it took us three hours to get back to the car. It was 5:15pm and the sun was starting to go down. It was 5:25 when I got reception on my phone and a VM from my over worried and perturbed wife wondering why I had not called.

All and all it was a great day. Beautiful winter scenery made all of the hard work worth while

Note: A-Z trail passed the Willey trail junction headed to Zealand hut was broken out by a group that must have been behind us. Also the trail headed to Mt. Willard had been broken out that morning as well. I can’t remember if the Avalon trail headed to Mt. Avalon was broken out or not.

http://picasaweb.google.com/montvm1/MtFieldAlmost

 

[Mike P.]

Trying to figure out where you were for the pictures, So you went up Avalon & then the A-Z to the col between Tom & Field? Did you guys do Tom?

Avalon trail goes up to Willey Range trail just 90 yards or so from Field Summit. It's a pretty stiff climb for a peak that doesn't get much press. I've tried a couple of times to get to Mt. Willey over Field in the winter & have run out of gas both times. With all teh snow, you probably can get a good view from the Field summit this year!

 

[montvm]

Trying to figure out where you were for the pictures, So you went up Avalon & then the A-Z to the col between Tom & Field? Did you guys do Tom?

Avalon trail goes up to Willey Range trail just 90 yards or so from Field Summit. It's a pretty stiff climb for a peak that doesn't get much press. I've tried a couple of times to get to Mt. Willey over Field in the winter & have run out of gas both times. With all teh snow, you probably can get a good view from the Field summit this year!

The last shots where from the Willey range Trail headed towards Mt Field. We were over the false summit and you could see the true summit through the trees from where i was

 

[montvm]

Trying to figure out where you were for the pictures, So you went up Avalon & then the A-Z to the col between Tom & Field? Did you guys do Tom?

Avalon trail goes up to Willey Range trail just 90 yards or so from Field Summit. It's a pretty stiff climb for a peak that doesn't get much press. I've tried a couple of times to get to Mt. Willey over Field in the winter & have run out of gas both times. With all teh snow, you probably can get a good view from the Field summit this year!

Are you saying that you think we might have hit MT Field summit and the willey range trail continues on to Mt avalon 90 yards away.

Is there a summit sign or cairn at the top of Feild?

Thanks
Mike

 

[MichaelJ]

Not quite. If you continue on the Avalon Trail instead of the A-Z trail it goes to Mt Avalon, then continues further until it hits the Willey Range Trail at this junction:

http://www.saletnik.org/gallery2/v/hiking/nh/tom-field-willey-2003/img_1485.jpg.html

The Field summit is 100 yards away from that junction and looks like:

http://www.saletnik.org/gallery2/v/hiking/nh/tom-field-willey-2003/img_1488.jpg.html

 

[montvm]

Not quite. If you continue on the Avalon Trail instead of the A-Z trail it goes to Mt Avalon, then continues further until it hits the Willey Range Trail at this junction:

http://www.saletnik.org/gallery2/v/hiking/nh/tom-field-willey-2003/img_1485.jpg.html

The Field summit is 100 yards away from that junction and looks like:

http://www.saletnik.org/gallery2/v/hiking/nh/tom-field-willey-2003/img_1488.jpg.html

We had thought about going over avalon to lget to field. Sounds as that may have been a better option if Field is only 100 yrds from Avalon's summit.

The reason we decided to try and tackle it from the junction of A-Z and Willey range was because i had heard that the half a mile to the summit of Avalon is the toughest hike in this range, and all trails where unbroken. So we knew what to expect if we continued to the Mt Tom Junction and willey range trail junction because we had hiked Mt Tom in the beginning of January.

Oh well it will be there for next time. It was still an awesome hike.

 

[Mike P.]

I'd say coming up Willey on the Willey Range trail from Ethan Pond is harder. The section of Avalon is steep, I've had a harder time when it's packed & icy. If Field was your goal, getting there by going up Avalon is easier, IMO than climbing AZ & then coming over. Your terrain was easier (although getting over & out of those brook valleys is some work) but quite a bit longer mileage wise.

 

[MichaelJ]

Sounds as that may have been a better option if Field is only 100 yrds from Avalon's summit.

It's actually that Mt Avalon to the upper end of the Avalon Trail is about a mile, then it's 100 yards to the Field summit *from there*.

 

[montvm]

It's actually that Mt Avalon to the upper end of the Avalon Trail is about a mile, then it's 100 yards to the Field summit *from there*.

I still think that that may have been the better option then the way we went but I won't know until next time.

What i did learn is that breaking trail is killer work. Either way it was still a good time.

Just a little dissappointing not summiting.

Mike