| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Speckled Mountain (attempt), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Bickford Brook Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 15, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Cold River Campground access road which was plowed. Route 113 in Fryeburg and Stow Maine was in poor condition at 10:30AM. Conditions were better by evening. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All were covered in snow |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail in good condition. Stepped on one downed tree which was at the snow line. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None today although the trail is fine for dogs. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The 0.3 miles from Brickett Place up to the old WMNF service road had a light snowshoe path. Thereafter there had been no foot traffic on the Bickford Brook Trail. The snow was dense with some drifts in places. It made for difficult breaking of the trail. I started the hike at 11:00AM so I only had time to reach the junction with the Spruce Hill Trail. It should be a relatively easy hike up to this point but then you'll have to break the final 1.3 miles to the summit of Speckled Mountain. None of the trails branching off the Bickford Brook trail were broken (Blueberry Ridge, Spruce Hill, and Bickford Slides). I would recommend gaiters as the snowshoes sink in about two feet in places and routinely sunk 12 to 18 inches although on wind packed snow stretches you can go short distances on the surface. Bring sunglasses as the snow is very bright in the March sun. Bare booting with microspikes wouldn't be pleasant in the current conditions. |
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 | Name: |
WAUMBEK |
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 | E-Mail: |
WAUMBEK at Roadrunner dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-03-15 |
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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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