| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Snow Mountain (Chain of Ponds), ME |
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 | Trails: |
North Road, jeep trails, herd path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 19, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
North Road had been plowed to within a mile of the traditional summer trailhead (there's active logging going on south/southwest of that point). It hadn't yet been plowed following a snowstorm overnight that dropped 6" or so of snow on the ground. Still, it was drivable with my Outback and solid snow tires.
As for the other roads leading into the central six pack... This winter is gonna be tough if now is any indication. Morton Cutoff doesn't bring you nearly as far north as in past years (at least not yet?), and Tim Pond just isn't plowed beyond its junction with Tea Pond Road, maybe 1-2 miles in out of the 9 total to four corners. Big Island Road from Goburn Gore - well, you can get pretty far down, but still need to walk about 3 miles to get to the base of White Cap.
You could use the same approach to reach Boundary Peak, heading up the same unnamed road but then heading off to the right at its end around White Cap and straight for the border swath. Cupsuptic Snow is gonna be real, real tough to reach in these conditions since no plowed road brings you anywhere close, at least at this point.
Your road access may well vary; spend time ahead of hike day scouting them; maybe things will improve! But expect to have to break trail along these roads, and of course beyond to the summits. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None of note |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Roads and herd path (it's basically a trail) in good shape; there were a few down trees we had to walk around along the herd paths, not unexpected. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Pleasantly surprised to see North Road was plowed to within a mile of the "traditional" summer trailhead, Marcia and I jumped at the chance to check COP Snow off her W100 list. This brought her up to #94. We broke trail the whole way, between 8 and 18" of snow (more along the roads, less up on the herd path even up high due to canopy coverage). Just 8.4 miles round-trip, 2160' elevation gain, 7h 20min total time. |
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 | Name: |
Erik Bertrand |
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 | E-Mail: |
erik@bertpc.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-01-21 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155852126219567&type=3 |
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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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