Mt. Tom and Field

Saturday morning Sean and I set out to hike Mt. Tom and Field, both of which are 4000 footers! It was a beautiful day, with weather in the 30's and mostly sunny... I couldn't wait to get out there! We parked at the Highland Center at Crawford Notch and put on our gaiters at the car since we didn't know how much snow to expect due to the snow storms the week before. Also, the night before they had gotten a dusting of snow which left the trees covered with new snow which was really pretty. We started hiking on the Avalon Trail that begins right behind the train tracks. We hiked 1.3 miles until the trail met up with the A-Z Trail that continued on to Mt. Tom.

Fresh snow on the Avalon Trail!

Hiking up the A-Z Trail

This is still on the A-Z Trail, but to get to Mt. Tom's summit you need to take this spur trail

In the guide book, it says the A-Z Trail is steep, and it definitely was! Fortunately, we were only on the trail for about a mile so it wasn't hard too hard to handle. About 2 miles into the hike, we met up with another couple who were snow shoeing up the trail. They were very nice and they had a pretty dog with them! It seems that most people you meet on the trail are really nice and friendly which is one of the reasons I love hiking. From here, we continued up to the summit of Mt. Tom which was a pretty easy ascent. At this point, clouds had started to roll in and it got pretty cold. It wasn't windy though which was good because the weather could have turned quickly. 

Sean!

Awesome views from Mt. Tom

Mt. Washington in the background

Me at the summit!

Hiking in the winter is so beautiful and so different from hiking at any other time of the year. I feel it is less difficult because you are hiking a flatter snowy path and not hiking up rocks, but at the same time it can also be very dangerous if the weather were to turn bad. Snow could quickly cover the trail and you could lose your way. It is interesting to read other peoples hiking blogs and seeing other people hike during the winter. People make a huge deal out of winter hiking! Maybe just because I have been hiking in the winter for so many years it doesn't seem so dangerous to me. If you are to fall, you probably won't get hurt as bad because your landing on soft snow not a rock! I like the quote "fear is weight", if you think about it, it's very true. If you are afraid of being cold, you will most likely bring more clothes than necessary = weight. As long as you are prepared and are smart, you will most likely be safe :) 

From Mt. Tom we continued back down to the A-Z Trail and hiked a few yards to the Willey Range Trail. This trail was about a mile and an easy grade. We reached Mt. Field summit pretty quickly, and there were a few other people up there as well. One of the women who was up there said she out for a day trip but had on a huge pack that most people would use for a week long trip. Like I said... fear is weight. She must have had everything but the kitchen sink in there! She seemed to be enjoying herself though so good for her, whatever makes you feel safe. It had started snowing by the time we reached Mt. Field so there were really no views and it was cold! My down jacket has proven itself very warm :) Except it rips easily which I am not happy about. 

Summit of Mt. Field

 

It started snowing :)

Canadian Jay... little scavengers!

We headed back down the Willey Range Trail a few hundred feet where it met back up with the Avalon Trail. This was a pretty steep descent, so we got to do some butt sledding!! Why walk down the trail when you can sled! We didn't have actual butt sleds though, which would have been really great. I saw 2 butt sleds at EMS for all of 7$ and I was kicking myself on the trail that I didn't buy them. It was still fun and a much faster way to get down the trail! In about another mile or so, we made it to the Avalon Spur Trail to the summit of Mt. Avalon. For a little mountain (3,442), it offered great views!! The quick snow showers had passed and the sun was starting to come out again. There were a bunch of people at the top who had hiked with no crampons or anything, their legs must have been burning!

Sean at Mt. Avalon

Beautiful views of the Presidential's

Sean and I <3

Mt. Webster in the background

Overall, it was a great hike on a beautiful day. RT mileage was 7.2 miles with 2,800 feet of elevation gain. Book time was 5 hours and we were out there for a little longer due to breaks. I'm terrible at remembering when we started and stopped hiking, I need to write it down or I will forget! After the hike, we had Flatbread pizza for dinner which is my favorite!!

I have a bunch more hikes planned and I can't wait to get out there again soon :)