| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Kedron Flume, Ripley Falls, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Kedron Flume Trail, Ethan Pond Trail, Arethusa-Ripley Falls Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Saco River Trail, Dry River Connection, Maggie's Extension, Maggie's Run, road walk, Sam Willey Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 17, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at the Willey House site (the Crawford Notch State Park visitor's center was closed). The Ethan Pond/Ripley Falls trailhead was mostly full, and there were people parked along Route 302 at the AT crossing and the Dry River trailhead. About half of the cars had NH plates and the rest were from out of state. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossing of Avalanche Brook on Arethusa-Ripley Falls Trail just below Ripley Falls was totally impassable (as I suspected it might be). I brought my water shoes for that crossing, and even if I had put them on, I still wouldn't have been able to ensure my safety - the water was deep and fast, with lots of slippery boulders. The crossing of Kedron Brook on Kedron Flume Trail took a little thought - it's on wet, slippery ledges - but experienced hikers shouldn't have too much trouble. The crossing of Webster Brook on Saco River Trail 0.4 miles east of Webster Cliff Trail was unexpectedly difficult - I had to bushwhack upstream a significant distance to find a relatively safe place to cross. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The sign at the upper junction of Saco River Trail and Webster Cliff Trail was missing. Several blowdowns on Saco River Trail, including some where you have to bushwhack around them. Trails were well blazed, but Saco River Trail's footbed wasn't always entirely clear (the branch of Maggie's Run that intersects with Saco River Trail had the same issue). Saco River Trail was also quite rough - it seemed odd for a trail with very little elevation change. Maybe some trail work could be done on it. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I wouldn't recommend taking a dog up Kedron Flume Trail at this time - the conditions would be very hard for it. All other trails would be fine though. |
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 | Bugs: |
Amazingly, practically none. I don't expect that to last though. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Saw a mostly full Hannaford water bottle on Ethan Pond Trail, and a light green bandanna on Arethusa-Ripley Falls Trail. Due to our current concerns with COVID-19, I did not touch either of them. |
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 | Comments: |
This was a redlining hike in Crawford Notch. Showed up at the Kedron Flume trailhead at 8:50 and headed up the trail. No snow or ice until the crossing of Kedron Brook. After the crossing, there were patches of stable and unstable monorail mixed with bare sections. Spikes could have helped in places, but until about 0.1 miles below the junction with Ethan Pond Trail, the trail was too patchy for them. I was able to bareboot my way up the trail, and while there were a few tricky spots, nothing was dangerous. Snow cover was complete at the junction, and a pair of hikers who had passed me coming down Kedron Flume said that above the junction (going toward Ethan Pond), the snow was 2 feet deep.
Going down Ethan Pond Trail, there was initially a monorail, but it disappeared pretty quickly, and most of the rest of that trail was extremely wet, with lots of standing and running water for long distances. My boots got wetter going down Ethan Pond Trail than going up Kedron Flume. Arethusa-Ripley Falls Trail to the falls was fairly busy (it was the busiest trail of this hike), and it was a mix of wet and dry trail, with considerable trail creep in the wet places. I had tentatively planned to hike up to Frankenstein Cliff and Falcon Cliff, but as soon as I got to the falls it was clear that I wouldn't be able to cross the brook. However, I wasn't too disappointed, because the falls were ROARING! Huge sheets of whitewater were coming down the rock face. I was very impressed by the majesty of the falls, and it was a clear message that I had made the right decision in not trying to cross the brook - don't mess with the power of water. I saw no more snow or ice after leaving the vicinity of Ripley Falls.
I went back down to Route 302, headed up Webster Cliff Trail, and then turned right onto Saco River Trail going toward Dry River Campground. To be honest, I was not particularly impressed with this trail - it seemed to be unusually rough for a trail with so little elevation change, and there weren't any stepping stones or other aids for us to use to cross Webster Brook. I took it to its end at Dry River Trail, where I had lunch. While I was there, I had a nice chat with fellow redliner and NETC contributor Rick Simmons. I then redlined Dry River Connection (a nice smooth trail - quite the contrast to Saco River Trail), hiked through the campground to Route 302, and found the trailhead for Maggie's Extension.
I followed Maggie's Extension up to Maggie's Run, and then Maggie's Run up to the Pleasant Valley picnic area. Maggie's Run has a couple of spur paths in this area, some of which aren't marked too well - I tried to make sure that I got them all. I then roadwalked from Pleasant Valley up to the AT crossing, hopped on Webster Cliff Trail briefly again, and took a left on Saco River Trail to head back up to my car. This section of Saco River Trail wasn't too bad, but it was still somewhat rough. As soon as I got onto Sam Willey Trail, though, the trail became much smoother. I made sure to redline both of the loops on that trail, and then crossed the dam (part of the walkway was under an inch or so of water, but it was still easy to cross) and Route 302 back to my car.
I saw at least two dozen people at various points on the hike - all the hikers social distanced (though some of the tourists at the trailheads were not social distancing). The whole hike was roughly 11 miles, I redlined 6 different trails, and it took me about 6:50 (though, of course, most of the trails were pretty flat). It was a very productive day. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-05-17 |
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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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