Not wanting to pass up a potentially decent day in the mountains, we headed to Mount Willey this morning so I could finish bagging the Willey Range (Field, Tom, Willey). As I passed through Franconia Notch it was pretty cloudy but I was able to catch glimpses of almost all the major peaks in the area. There was also a bit of snow coming down. It looked like a nice day for a hike, but I wasn't counting on any views, other than the inside of a cloud.
We departed the Ethan Pond Trail shortly after 9:30am. There were quite a few blow-downs in the trail that we had to climb over, but the trail was easy to follow. It climbed gradually, then flattened out as we reached the junction with the Willey Range Trail.
If there's anything I've learned about four-thousand foot mountains from my last 10 peaks, it's that they are not to be under-estimated. Whenever I'm away from the mountains I fall into the mindset that the high-peaks are much easier than they really are. In reality, a four-thousand foot peak doesn't let just anyone climb it...you truly have to prove yourself to the mountain and continue pushing forward, and if you get really lucky, you might just have a rewarding view at the summit.
Not long after the junction, the Willey Range Trail began a serious climb toward the summit. The trail became so steep that a series of ladders was put in place to assist hikers on their way.
After four consecutive ladders, we rounded a corner and found ourselves at the foot of another series of ladders.
There was a large ice-flow midway through the third ladder, prohibiting us from enjoying the convenience of ladder-climbing. It took a lot of care and a little bit of strategy to navigate around the ice-flow and hoist ourselves back onto the ladder.
After finishing all the ladders there was still a considerable amount of climbing ahead of us. The trail was very steep and took a lot of effort and stamina to continue up. Between kicking foot-holds into the snow, using trees to pull ourselves upward, and literally crawling back and forth across the steep grade, we expended a lot of energy in our final heroic push toward the summit.
All of our effort was worth it, because this was one of those hikes that really rewards you for all your hard work. Although I had visions of a view-less summit throughout the ascent, we suddenly popped out above the clouds. At 11:30am we arrived at the outlook just below the summit where we had truly astounding views of the Presidential Range and the surrounding mountains. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
Mount Washington, the Northeast's highest peak, above the undercast:
Views into Crawford Notch far below us (notice Rte 302 through the clouds, and the railway to its right):
The pictures don't even do it justice. It was one of the most incredible sights of my entire life.
Just around the corner, I reached my first double-digit summit.
Just past the summit there was another outlook with views into the Pemigewasset Wilderness.
We ate at the summit and then I returned to the first outlook to take some last minute shots of the breath-taking views.
A dramatic view of Webster Cliffs wrapped in clouds:
With spikes on, the descent was much easier than the ascent. It was pretty fun to just slide down some of the steeper sections instead of coordinating difficult footing...one of the benefits of winter hiking. Once we were past the steep sections, the rest of the hike was a nice walk through the snowy woods, and we arrived back at the trailhead just after 2pm. The hike was challenging but unbelievably rewarding. There is no better feeling than pushing for the summit and being rewarded with such spectacular, exclusive views. 38 to go!
No comments:
Post a Comment