28 September 06: Crawford Notch
This trip was intended to explore the Willey Range trail in Crawford
Notch. (Part of the plan was to bag some 4000 footers in this area:
Willey, Field, and Tom, as I'm within yelling distance of the 4000
Footers Club). But the weather quickly changed that plan -- though not
terribly cold on the thermometer, it was humid and windy, giving a
very raw feeling.
Click on the thumbnails to see the full size picture.
Timer shots of me against the Willey Range. The peak right above my
motorcycle is Mount Willard (2865') I think, with Mount Avalon (3442')
and the 4000 footers socked in by the clouds above. As you can see,
it doesn't look like promising weather for hiking. But I'd come all
that way, so I decided to go as far as Mount Avalon and see if it
would burn off (crossing fingers).
This sign is right at the trailhead, behind the Crawford Depot. I hit
the trail just around noon.
The trail crosses this lovely brook, maybe a tenth of a mile in. The
water is running fairly fast, it's funny how the pictures don't capture
the feeling of the moving water.
Trail scenes on the way up. Note my segmented PVC hiking stick, which
fits on the motorcycle, and works pretty well on the trail, but is
hard to disassemble afterwards.
Around 12:50 I hit the junction with the A-Z Trail. My original plan
was to take it up to Mount Tom, but given the weather, I decided to go
to Mount Avalon first and see what conditions were like up there.
Most of the ascent to Mount Avalon is rather steep and rugged, but
there were some flat little glades like this one. This is at the col,
where there's a spur trail to the Avalon summit -- pretty steep, but
my hiking stick is a great help.
I hit the summit around 13:20, and it was totally socked in,
visibility maybe 20 feet, cloudy moist wind quickly soaking through
the T shirt and shorts I was wearing, and would clearly do the same to
the dry change of clothing I had in my pack -- prime hypothermia
conditions (I didn't bring waterproofs). So I aborted the hike and
went back down.
I was disappointed about aborting the hike, but I made up for it by
taking the time to explore the side trails to Pearl and Beecher
cascades.
Pearl Cascade. Mostly it's this one waterfall, with the pool below
it.
Beecher Cascade. This one is more of a long flume, a channel in the
rocks, quite a bit bigger than Pearl Cascade. I could have gotten
closer, but I like seeing it through the trees like this.
Most of the birches have already dropped their leaves, and the maples
are turning brilliant red.
Near the trailhead, another nice trail scene.
Mini panorama of Crawford Depot, and the south Presidential range
behind it, as seen from the trailhead when I emerge from the forest.
Finally, my faithful motorcycle is waiting for me at the Mount Clinton
parking lot. I finished around 15:00, and started the trip home. I
recommend Moat Mountain
Smokehouse and Brewpub in North Conway on the way home. From
there, motored down through Ossippee and Meredith, and enjoyed views
of Lake Winnepesaukee, then took the highway home, arrived around
19:30. More driving than I usually like to do, but well worth it.
This page maintained by
Wil Howitt
Last updated 29 September 2006
