| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Wildcat A, Wildcat B, Wildcat C, Wildcat D, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, ski trails |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, December 27, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
One car left at Wildcat (plenty of space), other at 19MB (several spots still available around 7:45 AM, lot full and cars parked on the road when we returned) |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
all bridged on 19 MB trail = no problems |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
a few blowdowns on the ridge - not an issue. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
It was one of those days when there was no one good choice for footwear - some stretches were good for snowshoes while other short stretches might have been better with spikes...but it would have been a pain to keep switching back and forth. We wore snowshoes majority of the hike. 19MB trail was packed and we were able to bareboot up to the junction with Wildcat Ridge Trail. Wildcat Ridge trail had not been tracked for a few days (we could see a faint boot path here and there) and there was new snow / drifted snow right at the start. We put our snowshoes on here and they stayed on for the rest of the hike. Path was still a little bony in stretches and a few other hikers behind us wore only spikes, but I was happy to have the traction and televators of my snowshoes on the steeps and in the soft snow along the ridge. Talked with one person who wore spikes up to Wildcat A and he said they worked ok, but he was slipping a little bit in the loose snow. Across the ridge, we saw no-one else. The snow was a deeper here and soft. Snowshoes for the most part worked well - some short tricky spots negotiating the ledgy areas with ice lurking under the loose snow. We laid out a good track with four of us in snowshoes, but snow was still pretty soft and will definitely need some more traffic to consolidate it.
We descended on ski trails (Upper Polecat/Catnap/Stray Cat) staying to the outside edge with snowshoes on. Top section of the mountain was closed and except for short stretches, we were on closed ski trails w/ no ski traffic. It was a beautiful day for a walk in the woods - no wind, comfortable temps, good views to the Presis and great company! |
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 | Name: |
Red |
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 | E-Mail: |
rarplumley@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-12-28 |
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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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