Ascent of Mount Tom on 2010-02-07| Date: | Sunday, February 7, 2010 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Peak: | Mount Tom | | Location: | USA-New Hampshire | | Elevation: | 4051 ft / 1234 m |
Ascent Trip ReportIt was sunny all the way up 93 until Franconia Notch, where light snow started and would continue all day. Arrived at Crawford House at 10:45am and was on the trail by 11. Climb was easy, the steepest part was just before the junction to Mount Tom Spur. Arrived on the summit at 12:40pm. Windy and cold and visibility was poor.
I decided to head back and attempt Mount Field. My map should the trails converging at the same place I turned for the Mount Tom Spur. However the trail was not so easy to find. Judging by the footprints I was not the only one who was confused. I looked around for 15 minutes and in the process forgot to suck on my CamelBak which was now frozen solid. Not a good system for winter hiking, I have to say. In the end the Willey Range Trail to Field is off to the left 100yds further on the A-Z Trail.
The climb to Field was pretty easy. It took about 45mins to get from the Tom Spur intersection to Field. It was less traversed, so I hit more unpacked areas than the Tom Spur. There was a overly-friendly Canandian Jay at the summit. Don't feed the animals! I had planned come down the trail from Field that meets the Avalon Trail; however, this trail was untrodden, so I decided to leave well enough alone. Thus, I returned the same way I got up.
I was back at my vehicle at 2.45pm. Plenty of time to get back to
Mass and watch the S/Bowl.
In terms of equipment, I had snow shoes, which I didn't need and crampons which I didn't need; however I could probably have done with something in between. I boot skied down the steepest parts which was fun. I made 2 silly mistakes. One was relying on the CamelBak for water. If I sucked water every 5 mins I was fine, but I forgot for 15 mins and so the line froze solid. The other was bringing only on Gu and 4 Clif bars. The Clif bars turned to stone and I couldn't thaw them. By the time I was at my car I was slightly dehydrated and hungry, but not by any means at a danger point. Still I should have known better.
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| Summary Total Data | | Quality: | 6 (on a subjective 1-10 scale) | | Weather: | Snowing, Frigid, Very Windy, Overcast | Ascent Part of Trip: Mount Field
Complete Trip Sequence:
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