The Hard Way to Half Way: hiking the Willey Range from the bottom

Many of us like a challenge. We wouldn't attempt to hike all 48 of the New Hampshire 4000'ers if we did not. But there are easier and harder ways to climb some peaks. I had never hiked the Kedron Flume trail before last weekend. I had passed by it going through Crawford Notch dozens of times. But every time I hiked the Willey Range or Mt. Avalon in the past I started from Crawford Station at the top of the notch. So why not give a different route a whirl. How hard could it be?

1st mile done, now for the hard part

I was aware that this would be a steeper start than Crawford Station. Looking up from the Willey House site the ridge line towers above on both sides. The site and the ridge are named for the Willey family who died when a torrential flood washed them away in 1826. I can easily picture water & boulders thundering down those slopes during a heavy storm. Since my son wanted to hike the Willey Range and my wife wanted to meet us near the end, I set the route from the bottom of Crawford Notch.

Up we go on the steep climb to Mt. Willey

The first mile and half up past Kedron Flume was a pleasant ascent. We curled around the switchbacks in the woods and across the railroad tracks to the brook. Once we joined the Ethan Pond trail for a short stretch we meet a few backpackers hiking out to Crawford Notch. After a quarter mile on the AT we turned onto the Willey Ridge trail. There we began to climb, and climb, and then climb some more. We went from step dirt trail, to boulder scrambling, to slabs, to a long series of ladders, and back to more boulders. This may not be the steepest trail in the White Mountains, but gaining 1600 feet in 3/4's of a mile is steep enough. Add to this the fact that summer heat & humidity were still blanketing the woods. By the time we got to the crest of Mt Willey I was drenched with sweat and ready for a nap.

We found nice views along the ridge

Some say that good views are limited on the Willey Range. While agree it is easier to see scenic vistas on other ridges, we still found several good look outs. Originally I picked this route because the weather forecast called for overcast skies. But we had nice views of the Wildcat Range and the Webster Slide from Mt. Willey. Traversing the ridge was almost an easy stroll compared to the initial climb. We had a good long sit on Mt. Field before racing down to meet Mom at the A-Z Trail juncture. Nicholas decided to trail run the mile descent while I took a more cautious approach. Truthfully hiking without poles for the first time this summer was straining my knees a little.

Webster Slide and the Carter Range 

After we met Mom & shared our lunch with the gray jays on the A-Z trail, we began the short climb to Mt. Tom. Since this is an easy route from Crawford Notch it is a popular day hike. Since it was Labor Day weekend we passed several groups both heading up & down. Some of these day hikers appeared to be carrying far less than the 10 essentials. But each was greeted with a smile and wave by us. The more distressing part of popular routes is finding litter at the summit. Indeed I spotted a few wads of toilet paper less than a yard into the bushes on top of Mt. Tom. The "Pack it In, Pack it Out" ethic has not made an impact on every hiker yet. 

How much further?

The objective of the day was met. The boy reached peak #24 of the White Mountain 4000 footers, half way to all of them. We trotted back down the A-Z and Avalon Trail to Crawford Notch. We admired the extensive trail work done to repair damage from last falls storms. It looked as if a mini excavator had been brought up for some of the trail. By the time we reached the rail tracks my feet were surprisingly sore & I was out of water. For only an 8 mile, 5 hour hike this route was taxing. We were all happy to duck into the Highland Center for cold drinks & snacks. Mom drove us down Crawford Notch to my car. Looking up at the beautiful view of the Willey Range and Mt. Avalon from the bottom I realized how far this "little" day hike took us. Sometimes the hard way is the best way.