An August to Remember

This was strictly a peak-bagging mission. There’s really no other reason to hike along the Willey Range Trail. There are no views. There’s nothing physically challenging or stimulating about it. The peaks _ Mts. Tom, Willey and Field _ aren’t spectacular.

They’re just there.

But this was a hike that offered the opportunity to hit three peaks in a single day. And since the forecast was for cool, wet weather on an August day -- typical weather this summer, it seems -- it was the perfect chance to scratch them off the list of the White Mountains’ 48 4,000-footers.

Wilson and I met up at the Crawford Visitor Center at 10:30 a.m., leaving one car there and driving the other to the parking lot behind the Old Willey House. It’s a part of the rich and sometimes spooky history of the White Mountains: A family once lived there, until a landslide in 1826 came careening down the east face and buried them and their house.

It was 50 degrees out when we started. There wasn’t a single patch of blue sky to see. I was growing way too used to this kind of weather on my hikes, and I’d learned how to pack so I was prepared for the elements. I noticed that Wilson brought only a small daypack, but I assumed he’d stuffed some foul-weather gear in there for the rain that was forecast.

We hit the Kedron Flume Trail behind the house, quickly crossing a set of railroad tracks and heading into the woods. The trail snakes its way up the mountainside; But to be blunt, there’s nothing all that remarkable about this trail.

It crosses a brook that isn’t all that steep, and there are a few spots with man-made ladders to help navigate the rocky ledges. I didn’t find any obstacles or terrain that got my heart pumping with fear.

Within an hour, we were at the juncture with the Willey Range Trail, and within about two hours, we were at the summit of Mt. Willey (4,285 feet). It’s one of those summits where you can’t blink or you’ll miss it.

Willey’s summit is basically a small dimple off to the side of the trail. There’s a small cairn, but no sign marking the spot. And small trees block any potential view. We grabbed a few bites off a power bar and continued on toward Mt. Field. It wasn’t a spot to linger.

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