| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Ingalls, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Scudder Trail, Cabot Connector, Judson Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, November 21, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
It would be easy to miss this trailhead. I’d pay attention to the AMC Guide and your car’s mileage to make sure you don’t miss it. Look for a very small pull off. The trail sign is small and white and while you can (barely) see it from the road you can’t make the text out. I didn’t think I had reached the trailhead yet but checked anyway and was glad I didn’t drive right by it! One large truck took up the pull off so I just pulled off to the side of the road. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None of any concern on Scudder Trail. The one crossing of Ingalls Brook on Judson Pond Trail was not high but I did cross very carefully albeit awkwardly given I was in 35’ snowshoes and the rocks were snow covered and I didn’t want to get my wet feet. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One huge blowdown on Judson Pond Trail shortly after the left turn (I missed it the first time) at the top of the ridge/hill you climb to the top of. It’s fairly easy to step on/over it.
I don’t recall any other blowdowns of consequence. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I’ve never lived with a dog so I’m not the best judge, but I imagine a dog would do fine on this trail. Only potential issue I’d see would be all the unbroken trail that they’d be sinking into. |
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 | Bugs: |
Don’t know if I even saw any snow fleas! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
A winter headband sort of thingy that I imagine would be worn by women wrapped around the trailhead sign (looked like Udder Trail lol!) |
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 | Comments: |
I started with bare boots which it seemed that one other had. No snow pack but only a couple of inches of snow to begin. There didn’t seem to be any base but it would have been hard to have one given how little snow there really was. The snow was more than a couple inches in spots towards the beginning. My guess was that this was due to several people barebooting and creating a path on Sunday and then everything getting an additional inch or two on Monday that hadn’t been much tread over. It was iffy as to when the best point to throw on snowshoes (particularly since I have big heavy 35’ snowshoes) but I threw them on probably just under a half mile in. Snow was most everywhere from then on except a wet section with little water puddles probably about a mile in. Even on the ledges where the snow would be over a feet deep sometimes, you’d occasionally see rock.
The orange blazed Scudder Trail was generally no problem to follow. Because the woods were open towards the beginning and there were other trails/roads intersecting, there were brief periods without orange blaze insight but then you’d see some. The trail was pretty obvious until the ledges just before the summit I believe. It looked as if the trail could take a right from the top of the ledges back into the woods or go down the ledges then back into the woods. The former seemed slightly more likely and it looked like someone went that way Sunday but I followed the ledges down and into the woods and sure enough that’s where the blaze was. After the summit, and just before the pond I followed remnants of a former track and went the wrong way but it was only a couple dozen yards to the pond. I eventually found and broke out the correct way as well :) On my way back, I also made a loop near the ledges following the remnants of the former track into the woods at the top of the ledges.
Once back at the jct with Cabot Connector, I took the left down it then almost an immediate left down Judson Pond Trail. The trail corridor was not obvious on this like it mostly was on Scudder Trail, but the yellow blaze was placed VERY generously mostly making it quite easy to follow. Shortly after the crossing of Ingalls Brook mentioned above, there’s a sharper left turn that I missed. I continued on for quite a long ways bushwhacking through an open marshy area until making my way back and finding the turn I missed. There’s yellow blaze at the turn but it’s hard to see from the direction you’re coming from...
Snow not generally more than a few inches along Scudder Trail until the ledges when it could be 6 inches to a foot. It helped that there was a barely discernible trail likely from Sunday to follow here too. Judson Pond has deeper totally unbroken snow that was a bit deeper. Breaking trail became exhausting quickly!
For recliners... the 20 yard side trail to a view on the right on Scudder Trail was obvious :) |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-11-22 |
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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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