Mt Avalon
- kathyboufford
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
MORE THAN I BARGAINED FOR
3442’
March 15, 2025
“Never, never be such a fool as to go up a mountain…
Man still ascend eminences…and descending,
Say they have been delighted. But it is a lie.
They have been miserable the whole day.”
- Wil Thackeray (1811-1863)
Our intention was to climb Middle Sugarloaf Mountain. Unbeknownst to us, the road to the trailhead (Zealand) is closed late fall to early spring. Now we know to check this website before we go: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/whitemountain/alerts/forest-roads-status. We could have parked nearby and walked the mile or so to the trailhead, but I didn’t want to add another 2 miles of snow-walking time to our day as we were meeting up with people afterwards. After quickly discussing other options, we decided on Mt. Avalon which we knew was nearby from hiking Mt. Willard last year. We parked near the Crawford Depot, put on our micro spikes, and crossed the train tracks toward the trail. We assumed Mt. Avalon was going to be like Mt. Willard since they were right near each other. We were wrong. If we learn from our mistakes, this was turning out to be a very educational day for me.
I recalled Mt. Willard being a remarkably easy, meandering hike. While Mt. Avalon starts out similarly, it turns on you suddenly and presents you with very steep sections. I went from enjoying a nice walk to kicking into the packed snow to create footholds and doing my best not to fall backwards. I think I would have done so a few times but for Ronnie pushing me from behind. The last of these sections, a sharp left turn and up 100 feet to the summit, required me to hang on to whatever I could grab for leverage. Bent forward, my head down and eyes focused on my feet, I was reaching for branches and tree trunks using only my peripheral vision. One trunk turned out to be the leg of a fellow hiker who had stopped to allow me to pass. It’s hard to maintain your balance while you are laughing. He was kind enough to lend me a hand and helped boost me up that final step. From there it was just a few seconds of that typical suspense you get while weaving around the small brush before taking in the summit view. It was wonderful.
This hike turned out to be a big deal for me. While I still haven’t gotten back to Mt. Middle Sugarloaf yet, I suspect from my research that it will not be as difficult as Mt. Avalon. Since my knee injury of last year, and following many months of therapy, I had been slowly increasing the difficulty of my hikes. The surgeon gave me the all-clear a while back; that ligament wasn’t going anywhere. My physical therapist was a bit more conservative. She oversaw the strengthening of the muscles around the knee which were weakened by the surgery and the time off my foot. They were susceptible to tears if I went too far, too fast. Not wanting to re-injure myself, I was probably a bit over-cautious. Regardless, a mountain like Middle Sugarloaf was supposed to come before a mountain like Avalon. Had I known how much higher and harder Avalon was, I may not have attempted it at that time.
Usually, surprises on the mountain are not a good thing. In my case, my ignorance caused me to push myself and my knee a bit farther than I thought possible. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. Ronnie wasn’t even sure I was going to make it, but he wasn’t about to tell me. Getting to the top felt like a real triumph. It was tough, but I was fine, and my knee was fine.
As always, after taking in the views of the summit and catching my breath, I exchange small greetings with the other hikers. On this visit, there were three women much older than I looking like they were ready to climb another mountain. They were snacking and pointing out all the different mountains around us, talking about this trail and that trail. Clearly, they were avid hikers and very familiar with the area. After a short while, I watched them disappear down the steep slope I had just scrambled up without hesitation. I decided I wanted to be like them when I grew up.
We drank our water and nibbled on GORP and then it was time for us to make the return trip. Like the Berenstain Bears in Bears In The Night, we all but ran down the mountain, not because of fear, but because of gravity. All in all, it took us about 2.5 hours to complete. And I learned a few things. I will not again make any assumptions as to a trail’s level of difficulty based solely on its proximity to another trail. I should have known that since I’m aware there are many mountains that have several routes to the top – some harder than others. Check for road closures when planning your route. Be careful, but not too careful; pushing yourself a little past your comfort zone is usually a good thing.
FABYAN’S STATION
This casual restaurant is located in a restored train station that served this area. They offer American-style pub fare. I had the prime rib which is a house specialty. Service was good. I wasn’t sure what drink to order and asked the bartender to suggest something. He suggested a concoction he called Apple Pie created by mixing apply cider, cinnamon schnapps, and vanilla vodka. It doubled as my dessert.
The Reason to Visit: Experience this historical location where many early tourists came from near and far to visit the area prior to it becoming the White Mountain National Forest.
Fabyan’s Station, US 302, Bretton Woods
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