| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Wildcat E, Wildcat D, Wildcat C, Wildcat B, Wildcat A, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lost Pond Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, February 12, 2011 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at PNVC, so no problems. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Ice - Blue, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Towards the start there was one fallen tree blocking the path, about waist-high. Not hard to climb over. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I didn't see any dogs. I don't know how clever and tough dogs are, there was a lot of deep, loose snow, and a lot of snow with sharp, hard crust on it. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I took Lost Pond (which was well packed) to the ridge trail, and start up from there. The hike was challenging, and a bit frustrating at times. For the vast majority of the time, the trail was covered in 6 to 12 inches of extremely soft powder, with a crusty shell on top, which I sank into in snowshoes. The steep sections were the worst, as the snow was so loose that it just kept falling out from under me, despite my efforts to kick into it. It got a little better up on top of the ridge, but the steepest, loosest snow was just before the summit, and required a bit of zig-zagging to work my way up.
I broke trail the whole way up. I tried to consolidate the trail as best I could, but there were several unplanned glissades on the descent that, unfortunately, undid some of that effort. Although the summit had some challenges, I'd say the hardest part was the first third of the trail. There were a lot of steep sections where I felt I was just walking in place as the snow shifted away. And on the way down I couldn't find a better approach than to slide down and hope I don't snag a rock. Hopefully I didn't leave the place in too bad shape for the next hikers. |
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 | Name: |
Dan Goyette |
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 | E-Mail: |
dan.goyette@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2011-02-12 |
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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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