| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bigelow Mountain - Avery Peak, Bigelow Mountain - West Peak, Bigelow Mountain - South Horn, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Appalachian Trail, Stratton Brook Pond Road, Esker Trail, Fire Warden’s Trail, Appalachian Trail, Horns Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, December 28, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
No cars in parking lot. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
One major that is 1 mile in. Tough but manageable. Needed poles for sure. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
10 large trees down. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Started out with boots at 6am in darkness. Heavy fog with just above freezing conditions. River crossing early on the AT was fine but tough without daylight. Had to push away some snow piles to get to rocks. If there were snow bridges, they have since been rained out and dispersed. No other hikers whole day. Stratton Brook Pond Road was very muddy on way back(workers are on it taking out side trees). Ice picked up 3 miles in. Switched to spikes and out of them many times as the ice sheets were sporadic. Once I got to 3300 ft elevation, snow became more prominent and snowshoes started to seem like a good idea. Once Firewarden’s trail met AT I decided to go right to Avery Peak and that’s when snow shoes were needed to save energy. Rocks at peak were snow/ice free so again had to go to boots. Lots of Moose(i think) poop just short of alpine area. A few old snow shoe tracks but no path set. Decided to descend early instead of doing the horns. Came down Horns pond Trail instead and found it to be a nice and steady decline. Wore spikes mostly until about 2400ft elevation. Wet with patches of ice on way back and about 10 trees down that required belly crawl or over the top movement. Very difficult hike with a massive mileage discrepancy(Garmin said 19.4 and iphone said 14.8).
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 | Name: |
Nick Johnson |
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 | E-Mail: |
nicktjohn@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-12-30 |
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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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