| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
South Crocker Mountain, North Crocker Mountain, Mt. Redington, ME |
|
 | Trails: |
Bushwhacks, Caribou Valley Road, Appalachian Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 12, 2023 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked at the Sugarloaf lot at the intersection of Pump House Road and W. Mountain Road and bushwacked from the 11th tee to Caribou Pond Road. The lot was clear with plenty of parking. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The small brook crossings were easily negotiable |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The AT crossing of Caribou Pond Road could use some signage. Otherwise, the trail is well blazed and signed to the Crockers |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None observed |
|
 | Bugs: |
nope |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
There was a pack cover draped over a log on the AT above Crocker Cirque campsite. We left it. |
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|
 | Comments: |
Pete and I started late morning Friday and packed out the bushwack from the golf course to Caribou Pond Road, then followed the road up to the AT where we continued to our base camp at Crocker Cirque campsite. Conditions we warm in the high 30s when we started and snow was a bit wet and heavy. The bushwack was easily negotiable with some remnant flagging guiding us. Winds were gusty overnight as the temps fell to a comfortable low teens and a light dusting greeted us with clear skies as we started early Saturday morning. We broke track on nice crusty snow to South Crocker and continued to Crocker. We came back to South Crocker and decided to break trail to Reddington as close to the bushwack route as we could. The 3-4' deep snow was firm in most places due to the recent freeze thaw conditions but the occasional spruce trap caught us by surprise. The snow depth also meant we were hiking in the spruce canopy most of the way and finding the route kept us alert and focused. We burned many matches to make it to Reddington but were glad we made the effort. Rather than return back up the bushwack route which had many branches and "duck/crawl unders" to deal with, we followed a snow mobile track down to Caribou Pond Road and made a loop back to camp. We saw no one the entire trip with the exception of a single hiker we encountered on way out Sunday who was starting his hike to the Crockers and happy to hear we packed the trail out. The bushwacks and trail breaking made this one of the more memorable hikes for Pete and I. |
|
 | Name: |
paul k |
|
 | E-Mail: |
pknapik65@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-02-13 |
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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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