| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Sam Willey Trail, Pond Loop Trail, Saco River Trail, Webster Cliff Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, February 23, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The lot was plowed but I was a bit worried we might get stuck as we pulled in around 11am. Lots of parking and only a few other cars when we arrived. Same when we left but things had melted just a bit which our car did better in. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable) |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The two plank bridges over streams/runoffs on the part of the Saco River Trail that coincides with Webster Cliff Trail were difficult to navigate in snowshoes as the banks on either side were quite steep. We turned back at the far side of the 2nd one because my father had trouble getting up it in the unpacked snow. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The Pond Loop Trail and Sam Willey Trail jct was confusing. I was trying to enter the loop on the far side 50 yards past the beginning of the (marked) loop. Sure enough there was a couple of tracks off to the left 50 yards further but neither entirely looked like the trail so we decided to go back to the loop jct and start at (what we thought was) the beginning of the loop and then double back for redlining.. We came to a spot where it looked like it continued left/straight towards the pond but my mother was in the lead and absent-mindedly followed tracks that lead to the right and up an incline. It quickly became clear this definitely wasn’t a trail so I checked Gaia to confirm and we turned back. Went straight towards the pond that time and this was indeed the trail. What was odd was that this lead us back to an area just before the sign for the Pond Loop Trail meaning that the first shoot off of the loop is unmarked or buried in snow (or things have changed since the 30th ed AMC guidebook was written).
Sam Willey and Saco River Trail were both blazed in blue except for where Saco river coincides with Webster Cliff Trail (white blazes for the AT) and were easy to follow granted we were following a ski track. The loop jct at the end of Sam Willey Trail was blazed in blue in both directions of the loop which could be confusing to someone not knowing what they were doing.
There were a few leaners to navigate but no big deal. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I imagine they’d be fine. |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw one spider! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
A little backup redline today as my mom wasn’t feeling up to our original plan. We started at the San Willey trail, did the Pond Loop Trail, Sam Willey Trail to its end, then Saco River Trail to partway through the part where it coincides with Webster Cliff Trail/AT. Everything was at least broken by skiers up to the jct with Webster Cliff Trail. Nothing was tracked beyond that and my parents struggled in the powder. No trails headed up towards Webster either on the Webster Cliff Trail.
The trails were all easy to follow except for our navigation issue with Pond Loop Trail mentioned above. The part that coincided with the AT was a bit more difficult due to the white blazes. You could probably get away with just microspikes at this point to the jct with the AT but it wouldn’t be advisable after tomorrow’s snow.
Beautiful, relatively warm day although windy as always in Crawford Notch. The snow just got a tad bit wet/sticky with the warmer temps but nothing bad at all :) |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-02-23 |
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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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