| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Abraham, Spaulding Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Rapid Stream Road, snowmobile corridor, Mt. Abraham Trail, Mt. Abraham Spur Trail, Appalachian Trail, Spaulding Spur Trail, Sugarloaf Side Trail, ski trails |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 11, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
No issues at Sugarloaf, and Rapid Stream is plowed out to the winter parking lot, room for four or so. It should be noted between dropping off the car the day before and grabbing it the next morning, noticeable melting had occurred on the road. It should be good for a little while longer but spring is making an appearance. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
We had no issues with water crossings |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
It's hard to gauge the amount of blowdowns and stuff to take care of, the snow is high enough that your head is at the top of the trail corridor |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dogs might struggle in the Abraham snow field |
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 | Bugs: |
A group of snowmobilers that made it approximately 2.6 up the Mt. Abraham Trail - they did some good damage - but allowed us easy going in the morning |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A magnificent day was had in Maine. We came back for round for the ASS Traverse (Abraham, Spauling, Sugarloaf) and got it done. We went up Abe this time to avoid any issues with the ski slopes changing their minds on uphill. We had excellent conditions on Rapid Stream Road and the snowmobile corridor. As noted above, a group of snowmobilers went up approximately 2.6 miles up the trail, crossing open water at times or snow bridges, and tearing a lot of it up. Kind of sad that they have hundreds of miles of trail corridors but have to go on hiking trails. We were able to ride their hardened tracks to about 2150. From here, until the car, it was snowshoes all day. The trail through the rest of the way, with the exception of the Abraham snowfield, was tracked out but unconsolidated. We where out in the midday sun as well so everything softened up tremendously and was tedious going in places. That coupled with the amount of snow, it has you doing hand to hand combat with the trees for a large part of the traverse from Abe to Sugarloaf. It's slow going and tough. Going back to the Abraham snowfields, it is breakable crust, broken out and wasn't that bad, but its a serious no fall zone and if you dont like coming down sketchier stuff, i'd suggest ascending this side. No issues on the way out aside from the groomer yelling at us for walking on the extreme edge of the trail, much like you would at on any other uphill trail. Oh well, cant make everyone happy |
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 | Name: |
The Teal Goat, Sidehill, Poptart |
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 | E-Mail: |
sea2thebiscuit@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-03-12 |
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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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