| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Ingalls, Mt. Cabot, Wiggins Rock, Mary's Aerie, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Austin Brook, Yellow, Scudder, Judson Pond, Blue, Wiggins Rock, Orange, Red, spurs & connectors |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, January 1, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I wasn't sure if Philbrick Farm's plowed area was okay for parking in the winter, so we parked at Austin Brook. The parking there is plowed bare ground, but it is narrow so it can't hold a lot of cars. I did see people parked at Philbrick Farm when we did the Orange trail so I'll guess it's just like summer. There is no place to park at the west end of Yellow (there is no plowed widening in the road)unless one is willing to try to get their vehicle off North Road by going up the road/trail enough. I did see a hunter take an unusual approach with a car in a different place on the raod; he put one set of wheels up on the hard snowbank and somehow got out of the very tilted verhicle. North Road basically has no shoulders without hard snowbanks in them; a road walk is not a good option especially with a dog, and parking is really not available except in the few plowed spots for hikers. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Breakable Crust |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Austin Brook would have been a very wet and possibly leg soaked crossing, so we used the "cable car"/cage just upstream. Pepper was not thrilled on the way out, and on the return he went upstream and downstream looking for alternatives before reluctantly hopping into the cage. There is a small open stream on Yellow a short ways west of its intersection with Red that is open and requires a long jump. Other than those there are no problems. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails all signed but an arrow or paint blazes are needed for east bound hikers on Yellow where it cuts left off the old road to cross the stream prior to reaching Red. There are ribbons there now and tracks in the crusty snow. Yellow could also use some paint blazes a bit after crossing Austin Brook right where the old roads diverge at a Y (stay right and you will soon see some paint). Wiggins Rock could use some paint blazes in the short road climb section; I whacked up to the rock but came down the trail. There are a few bendovers on Scudder between Ingalls and Roys Pond; I took out a couple right by the peak but the others are bent down into and frozen into the trail. All in all though, the trails are wide and pretty easy to follow right now. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Easy hiking for a little dog; the crust held Pepper up everywhere. There are still a few wet spots, a few places with water bulging over ice, and the stream crossings noted above where paws can get wet, but other than that its great. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Ingalls is a fine peak with several sets of ledges with excellent views of the Androscoggin River Valley, the Presidentials and Carters, and some of the Mahoosucs. The trails right now are easy hiking in spikes; the snow has a good crust on it in most places; there is a bit of ice in others but not a lot. I carried snowshoes but they never were needed. Once the crust is broken through, the sandy snow underneath offers little for traction to get a bite on. There is an obvious footpath in the crusty snow making it easy to follow the trails too. After seeing and chatting with a couple of local women with their friendly 3 dogs on Scudder, we had the trails to ourselves, although we did see signs of someone having been on red and blue either today or yesterday. There was a little wind in places but it was more refreshing than a challenge; there was a fair amount of sun and we avoided the snowshowers we saw over the Presis. It was a splendid way to start the year. Thanks Pepper. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-01-01 |
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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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