| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
White Cap Mountain, North Kennebago Divide, Snow Mountain (Cupsuptic), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Bear Brook Road, bushwhack, logging roads, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 3, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
see comments. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
we set out in the morning up morton cut (well plowed) from route 16 unsure of where we may end up. we decided to scope out how far lincoln pond road was plowed so headed down over plowed crusty snow with one significant stretch of ice after a couple miles reaching the end of the plowed section where it is turned over to snowmobiles. given recent conditions there was really only a thin hard packed layer of snow beyond that actually made for better driving than the plowed section so we continued to wiggle brook road at this point needing to keep an eye out for snowmobiles. wiggle brook was much the same so we kept going to the triangle intersection turning right towards the river to pick up bear brook road. there is clearly active logging going on in that area as the road coming across the river was plowed and that continued up bear brook road for roughly half the distance to the usual summer parking where the plowed way turned off and uphill to the left.
there was a nice plowed in area to park here and we continued on foot up the road on snow that was hardpacked by snowmobiles. some die hard snowmobilers had continued up where the road narrows into more of a trail to the shoulder of whitecap which where we then bushwacked to the summit. both a sign and canister were in attendance. we then came back down to the saddle between whitecap and nkd and bushwacked up the ridge following the path of least resistance to the summit of nkd which also had a sign and register. snow in the woods was mostly solid with some soft spots and minor spruce traps. from the summit of nkd we bushwacked more directly down from the summit to bear brook road through initially thick woods which then opened up beautifully farther down. we then drove back down to wiggle brook road and continued to the north side of cupsuptic snow parking at mile marker 22. the driving was still ok with an all wheel drive car, but some steeper hills pushed things a bit more. from mile marker 22 we headed up the logging road to the landing you can park at in the summer. we then followed the usual summer route on old log roads until the usual take off spot for the herd path which was indiscernible. we bushwacked from there straight up to the summit in mostly open woods. sign and canister there as well.
we wore snowshoes the whole hiked. could currently boot or microspike the hard packed bear brook road.
we started the day unsure of where we would end up, my assumption being we would try to get cupsuptic snow from the south as burnt mountain road looked to be maintained for logging. the recent melt and refreeze made driving much farther in a very viable option and though we could not reach the summer take off points we still got in much farther than we could have imagined. snow conditions in the woods were generally firm and though quite cold it was sunny and beautiful most of the day. thanks to steve for some great hiking and for having the nerve to drive his car so far out this time of year. a nice relaxing night at the maine roadhouse followed.
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 | Name: |
bryan |
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 | E-Mail: |
bryancuddihee@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-02-03 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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