| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sugarloaf Mountain (attempt), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Uphill access route (attempt), bushwhack, Caribou Valley Road, Appalachian Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 5, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I was able to leave my low clearance (but AWD) car about 2.4 miles from the summer trailhead of Abe. It appears if you have gusto, higher clearance vehicles have gone further from this plowed turnout. In doing the math into the great unknown, it was deemed faster to just road walk out then attempt to get closer and then be forced to back out down the road. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I was the sacrificial goat to try and cross the South Branch of the Carrabasset River. I lived and stayed dry. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The signs at the intersection of CVR and AT north and south are non existent. The blazing along the AT NOBO from CVR is incredibly sparce and hard to follow (white blazes on birches - awesome forethought) and we relied heavily on GPS to route find. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Sometimes you're the pigeon, sometimes you're the statue. A heavy slice of humble pie was served. First off, despite yesterdays Mountain Report on Sugarloaf's website reading uphill access was open to the summit (OF SUGARLOAF) we where told when showing up today it was not open and to 'check the website.' - of which today stated only to the summit of Burned Mountain was open. So despite what you see the day before or the morning of your drive up (like at 0330 while i was watching some crime documentary), it can change at will - too bad so sad. Lesson learned, after booking last minute hotels and what not. Always have a plan B C D E and F. We had dropped a car on Rapid Stream, so we where light on options. In retrospect, despite having a massive elevation gain advantage, just go from Rapid Stream and avoid the ski crap all together. By the time you reach the resort it's after closing and no one will likely bug ya. Anyways, we opted to attempt the summit from Caribou Valley Road, and we left the golf course and found a mostly flagged route to get to the road. As you might have guessed, this side is lightly travelled (aside from snowmobilers who seemed to be having their wobbly pops while driving as they almost hit us, and then almost crashed while waving... We broke for a bit waist deep snow before being overtaken by a trio. Moving was about 1/4 a mile an hour, to give you an idea of how wild the snow was. In the area of the cliff switchback, a member of our party suffered a medical event and it was decided that this was our stopping point. Uneventful, thankfully, on the way out. (everyone is home safe and sound as of this posting)
Always remember, the mountains really don't care about you, your resume, or your ambition. The summit is optional, the car is mandatory. |
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 | Name: |
The Teal Goat & herd |
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 | E-Mail: |
sea2thebiscuit@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-02-05 |
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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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