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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Old Speck Mountain, Mahoosuc Arm, Mahoosuc Notch, ME
Trails
Trails: Old Speck Trail, Mahoosuc Trail, Notch Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, May 24, 2015
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: The trailhead in Grafton Notch was nearly full on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Success Pond road is open from both ends, I learned (happily) when I needed a bailout option. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow/Ice - Small Patches 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: None 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Sometime in the past few weeks there was a major blowdown event in the Mahoosucs. All the trails (especially the less-used ones) are littered with whole trees and, in the boreal zone, areas where 1/3-1/2 of the balsam fir crowns have snapped off. Most of the smaller debris has been removed from the Old Speck trail, but there are big step-overs, duck-unders, and walk-arounds. I heard the Eyebrow Trail is in much worse shape. The Mahoosuc Trail beyond Old Speck is even worse, with treetops everywhere. I moved as many as I could from the summit down to Speck Pond, but the next day I didn't have time to stop. I had planned to continue along the AT into New Hampshire, but progress was so slow that I had to bail. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Mahoosuc Notch is NOT recommended for dogs, and I didn't see any. 
Bugs
Bugs: It was cool enough Saturday to keep the bugs away on Old Speck. There were a few black flies out Sunday in Mahoosuc Notch, but not bad. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: I set out on Saturday for a solo 3-day, 2-night backpacking trip through the Mahoosucs from Route 26 in Maine to Route 2 in New Hampshire. Having never hiked this trail before, I was nervous upon reading descriptions of the mile-long boulder field through Mahoosuc Notch, reports of blowdowns in the area, and the prospect of snow and ice making the route impassable into June (according to the guidebook). I took all this with a grain of salt, thinking it's usually not as bad as they say it is. I have done the NH 48 in summer and winter, so I'm used to a wide range of conditions.

It turned out to be worse than I thought. The blowdowns, described above, made for slow going. Mahoosuc Notch was passable, but lived up to its reputation as the "hardest mile on the Appalachian Trail." Climbing over and crawling under boulders with a 40-pound pack became even more challenging due to patches of deep snow (and crotch-deep postholing), ice (I did bring and finally put on microspikes, though the other hikers I saw that day did fine without them), and downed trees. The trail is poorly marked heading southbound; several times I found myself clueless as to where the actual trail was, and hoisted myself over something almost impossible only to find arrows leading through a passageway from the other side. Maybe the blazes were obscured by snow, or perhaps it's just the northbound bias of the AT. Be prepared to crawl through narrow caves. I got pretty beat up, bruised, scraped, and my hands were bleeding from numerous falls into the icy snow. Several poky tree branches got me in the face (or leg, or crotch). I crawled, slithered, removed and lifted my pack, kicked my leg up over my head, and performed all kinds of gymnastics to get through this thing. It was fun for about 20 minutes. Two hours later, it was the hardest thing I'd ever done. (And that's just the boulder field).

When I emerged from the Notch, the continuation of the Mahoosuc Trail was obscured by a giant blowdown. Time-wise I had no hope of making it to my appointed campsite before dark, and didn't care to get lost in this sea of blowdowns with only a headlamp. Luckily there was a couple at the junction who were heading down the Notch Trail to Success Pond Road and back toward Grafton Notch where my car was. I was fortunate to bum a ride; otherwise I might still be out there somewhere. Trail magic!

It was a great adventure, but if you're gunning for the Mahoosucs I'd suggest waiting until things have been cleared up, and/or getting out there with some tools to do the work! It is going to be a big job to make that stretch passable to thru-hikers this summer.

One down, 13 to go for my Maine 4k and 54 down, 13 to go for my New England 67!

:)  
Name
Name: Liz 
E-Mail
E-Mail: lizwyman at yahoo 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2015-05-30 
Link
Link: https:// 
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