BIGEarl
Well-known member
September 27, 2013: Crawford Notch Loop - CCW
Trails: Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Willey Range Trail, Ethan Pond Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Webster-Jackson Trail
Summits: Mt. Tom, Mt. Field, Mt. Willey, Mt. Webster
Hikers: Sue (Trail Trotter) and me.
Even though we have done it a number of times previously, it’s been more than three years since the last time we hiked a loop of Crawford Notch. This time we decided to go counter-clockwise. In other words, we started at the Highland center and headed for Mount Tom first. Our plan was to start early and keep track of the time when we were on the east side of Crawford Notch; when the time said to call it a hike we would call it a hike and head down. The two main decision points were Webster and Pierce. I had an early 3:00am wake-up on Saturday and wanted to get in at least a couple hours of sleep before the silent alarm went off. A small exercise in backward planning set the trigger times.
After a quick stop at the Highland Center we started early but not quite as early as planned. There was no need for headlights at the start. We wandered to Crawford Depot and started up Avalon Trail. Our usual approach to hiking Willey Range is to head for Mount Field via Avalon Trail; but this visit was going to be a traverse and we would not return the way we started out. The hike to the Avalon and A-Z trail junction was quick and easy. The trail is free of obstacles and the mud is much more limited than on our last visit. We passed the trail junction and went right directly to Mount Tom Spur and Mount Tom.
As we were climbing Mount Tom Spur some low-hanging clouds started blowing through. Clearly, views were to be limited at least for the early part of the hike. The real “view hike” part of the day wouldn’t come until after we crossed to the east side of Crawford Notch and started up Mount Webster. We had some miles and elevation to get through first.
Before heading to the summit cairn on Mount Tom we paid a visit to the Mount Tom Bench to see the views from that side of the summit. They were limited but still interesting. Soon we headed to the west side of the summit area and made the stop at the summit cairn for the usual pictures. After the pictures we made the u-turn and headed back to the A-Z trail for the short walk to Willey Range Trail and our north-south traverse of the Willey Range.
The trail leading to Mount Field is generally clear sailing. We made our way along this very long ramp leading to the junction with Avalon Trail. Once we reached this trail junction we knew the summit was just a short distance ahead. So far we had not met another person on the hike. We made the final steep ascent to the summit of Field, visited the viewpoint for a few pictures, got our summit shots, and were soon on our way to Mount Willey.
The trail to Willey is generally in good shape except for an area of blowdowns that has the actual trail blocked. A herd path has developed that passes around the blowdown patch. Some trimming of the trees has been done but much more is needed to make the trail useable once again. On the way to Willey we met Bob Martin and stopped for a short visit. After Bob we met a few other hikers on their way north, on both sides (north and south) of Mount Willey. After passing over the summit of Willey we made a brief stop at the viewpoint where we had the opportunity to have a view of the ~3000 foot elevation loss and re-climb we were about to take on. After crossing through Crawford Notch a few times, a similar crossing of Carter Notch is no big deal at all.
Others arrived from the south and the small viewpoint became crowded so we continued south on our descent. The trail leaving Willey is a steep one. In addition to some very steep terrain we had the Willey Ladders to enjoy. It didn’t take long to descend through the steep pitch departing from Willey and the terrain moderated as we made our way to the junction with Ethan Pond Trail. From there to the highway crossing was a mild walk through hardwoods that were taking on the fall colors. With the broken clouds and sunny conditions I was looking forward to the open ledges of Webster Cliff Trail.
We reached the highway and only paused long enough to get a couple pictures and wait for a hole in traffic to allow us a safe crossing. A short distance from the trailhead is the bridge where we stopped to refuel before the climb. After a few minutes of food and drink and relaxing we were ready to go.
Webster Cliff Trail is a very pleasant climb to the summit of Webster. It’s clear and in terrific shape, there is very little mud along the way, and the really steep places all seem to have good footing for the climb. We made our way through the lower elevation with very little real steep terrain. There were a couple short steep pitches and soon we were at the first open ledge area enjoying terrific views to the west and south.
From the first open ledge area to the summit the trail moves in and back out of the cover providing outstanding views all of the way to the top. The part that can be entertaining about climbing Webster Cliff Trail is the number of tops there are along the way. Some day I’m going to hike the trail just to count the number of false summits; there are lots of them. We’ve previously done this climb so there was no surprise. Still, it’s entertaining if you’re able to look at it from that perspective. I can imagine there have been through hikers with large packs that have made colorful comments along this trail.
Eventually we approached the summit and sunset about the same time. We stopped to make the timing check and decided it was a good idea to plan on heading out via Webster-Jackson Trail to Crawford Notch from Mount Webster. The hike notes I had prepared indicated it was time to call it a hike.
First, we enjoyed the sunset. What a wonderful place to see a sunset. The conditions were perfect. The sky was generally clear but low on the horizon there were some clouds that looked like a wildfire with the bright red sun burning through. Off to the southwest we had Venus like a bright spotlight in the sky. It was an amazing sight. Sunsets don’t last for long and soon it was time for our exit hike.
The hike down from Mount Webster was a little tough at the top. There is a lot of water on the slabs in the trail. The footing was good but when dealing with wet slabs you can never be sure; so we took a cautious approach. Between the wet slabs and mud we had plenty to watch. Eventually we reached Crystal Cascades, made the crossing, and climbed to the fork in the Webster-Jackson trail. From there we had an easy 1.4 mile cruise to the trailhead. After loading our things into the truck we made the usual quick change at the Highland Center and were on the road south.
Thanks Sue. This is a terrific way to enjoy hiking Crawford Notch and this loop always leaves some really good memories.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Willey Range Trail, Ethan Pond Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Webster-Jackson Trail
Summits: Mt. Tom, Mt. Field, Mt. Willey, Mt. Webster
Hikers: Sue (Trail Trotter) and me.
Even though we have done it a number of times previously, it’s been more than three years since the last time we hiked a loop of Crawford Notch. This time we decided to go counter-clockwise. In other words, we started at the Highland center and headed for Mount Tom first. Our plan was to start early and keep track of the time when we were on the east side of Crawford Notch; when the time said to call it a hike we would call it a hike and head down. The two main decision points were Webster and Pierce. I had an early 3:00am wake-up on Saturday and wanted to get in at least a couple hours of sleep before the silent alarm went off. A small exercise in backward planning set the trigger times.
After a quick stop at the Highland Center we started early but not quite as early as planned. There was no need for headlights at the start. We wandered to Crawford Depot and started up Avalon Trail. Our usual approach to hiking Willey Range is to head for Mount Field via Avalon Trail; but this visit was going to be a traverse and we would not return the way we started out. The hike to the Avalon and A-Z trail junction was quick and easy. The trail is free of obstacles and the mud is much more limited than on our last visit. We passed the trail junction and went right directly to Mount Tom Spur and Mount Tom.
As we were climbing Mount Tom Spur some low-hanging clouds started blowing through. Clearly, views were to be limited at least for the early part of the hike. The real “view hike” part of the day wouldn’t come until after we crossed to the east side of Crawford Notch and started up Mount Webster. We had some miles and elevation to get through first.
Before heading to the summit cairn on Mount Tom we paid a visit to the Mount Tom Bench to see the views from that side of the summit. They were limited but still interesting. Soon we headed to the west side of the summit area and made the stop at the summit cairn for the usual pictures. After the pictures we made the u-turn and headed back to the A-Z trail for the short walk to Willey Range Trail and our north-south traverse of the Willey Range.
The trail leading to Mount Field is generally clear sailing. We made our way along this very long ramp leading to the junction with Avalon Trail. Once we reached this trail junction we knew the summit was just a short distance ahead. So far we had not met another person on the hike. We made the final steep ascent to the summit of Field, visited the viewpoint for a few pictures, got our summit shots, and were soon on our way to Mount Willey.
The trail to Willey is generally in good shape except for an area of blowdowns that has the actual trail blocked. A herd path has developed that passes around the blowdown patch. Some trimming of the trees has been done but much more is needed to make the trail useable once again. On the way to Willey we met Bob Martin and stopped for a short visit. After Bob we met a few other hikers on their way north, on both sides (north and south) of Mount Willey. After passing over the summit of Willey we made a brief stop at the viewpoint where we had the opportunity to have a view of the ~3000 foot elevation loss and re-climb we were about to take on. After crossing through Crawford Notch a few times, a similar crossing of Carter Notch is no big deal at all.
Others arrived from the south and the small viewpoint became crowded so we continued south on our descent. The trail leaving Willey is a steep one. In addition to some very steep terrain we had the Willey Ladders to enjoy. It didn’t take long to descend through the steep pitch departing from Willey and the terrain moderated as we made our way to the junction with Ethan Pond Trail. From there to the highway crossing was a mild walk through hardwoods that were taking on the fall colors. With the broken clouds and sunny conditions I was looking forward to the open ledges of Webster Cliff Trail.
We reached the highway and only paused long enough to get a couple pictures and wait for a hole in traffic to allow us a safe crossing. A short distance from the trailhead is the bridge where we stopped to refuel before the climb. After a few minutes of food and drink and relaxing we were ready to go.
Webster Cliff Trail is a very pleasant climb to the summit of Webster. It’s clear and in terrific shape, there is very little mud along the way, and the really steep places all seem to have good footing for the climb. We made our way through the lower elevation with very little real steep terrain. There were a couple short steep pitches and soon we were at the first open ledge area enjoying terrific views to the west and south.
From the first open ledge area to the summit the trail moves in and back out of the cover providing outstanding views all of the way to the top. The part that can be entertaining about climbing Webster Cliff Trail is the number of tops there are along the way. Some day I’m going to hike the trail just to count the number of false summits; there are lots of them. We’ve previously done this climb so there was no surprise. Still, it’s entertaining if you’re able to look at it from that perspective. I can imagine there have been through hikers with large packs that have made colorful comments along this trail.
Eventually we approached the summit and sunset about the same time. We stopped to make the timing check and decided it was a good idea to plan on heading out via Webster-Jackson Trail to Crawford Notch from Mount Webster. The hike notes I had prepared indicated it was time to call it a hike.
First, we enjoyed the sunset. What a wonderful place to see a sunset. The conditions were perfect. The sky was generally clear but low on the horizon there were some clouds that looked like a wildfire with the bright red sun burning through. Off to the southwest we had Venus like a bright spotlight in the sky. It was an amazing sight. Sunsets don’t last for long and soon it was time for our exit hike.
The hike down from Mount Webster was a little tough at the top. There is a lot of water on the slabs in the trail. The footing was good but when dealing with wet slabs you can never be sure; so we took a cautious approach. Between the wet slabs and mud we had plenty to watch. Eventually we reached Crystal Cascades, made the crossing, and climbed to the fork in the Webster-Jackson trail. From there we had an easy 1.4 mile cruise to the trailhead. After loading our things into the truck we made the usual quick change at the Highland Center and were on the road south.
Thanks Sue. This is a terrific way to enjoy hiking Crawford Notch and this loop always leaves some really good memories.
Pictures will follow.
