NewEnglandTrailConditions.com
NewEnglandTrailConditions.com:
MA
|
ME
|
NH
|
RI/CT
|
VT
|
Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Wildcat D, Wildcat C, Wildcat B, Wildcat A, NH
Trails
Trails: Ski trails, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Nineteen Mile Brook Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, October 18, 2020
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: 19MB trailhead had overflowed by 10:15-10:30am Sunday morning. We parked off the road. Many more cars than I would’ve predicted at the ski area but still tons of room.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Drifts, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Slush 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Fortunately there are very few on this hike which is part of why I chose it. Those there are are on 19MB and all but one is bridged, or, at minimum has some puncheons across it (still could be treacherous when wet though). The one unabridged one was rock hoppable easing enough.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: The only blowdowns I’m recalling were on Wildcat Ridge Trail but there were several of them. Mostly duck unders I believe. Some were relatively small and could probably be taken care of with relative ease. Thanks to Rocket21 and crew who said he did some work on them. I believe most were closer to the D side. I don’t recall any from the notch to A but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any. The ski trails aren’t marked going up so you’ve got to look at the signs behind you at jcts, just follow the broken path, or use a GPS. I saw a white blaze or two marking the AT on Wildcat Ridge Trail but not many. Not hard to follow although there can be an easy to miss switchback one winter. 19MBT is blazed in blue I believe. Regular enough blazing as far as I remember but not that frequent. Not hard to follow.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: There may have been a few others but the one I’m remembering was put inside a back pack...likely because it we struggling and/or cold. Wildcat Ridge Trail is pretty rugged and conditions were not that friendly Sunday.  
Bugs
Bugs: None 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: None 
 
Comments
Comments: These were my 16th and 17th peaks for my October grid and my 6th and 7th 4000 footer peaks for this month. These were my friends 38th and 39th 4000 footers.

After spotting a car at 19MB trailhead, we started up the ski trails just before 11am. I tried to stick to Polecat but occasionally wondered elsewhere 😂 The broken path did occasionally diverge elsewhere and sometimes there’s more than one path b choose from. It would’ve been helpful to stick to the most broken one though as the snow was deep enough at times above 3000ft that you didn’t want to be the first one to step in it. The snow began to appear on the trails relatively soon after we started up. Maybe around 2500ft. There were bare patches of running water more or less the whole way but the snow cover was likely pretty consistent above 3000ft. I recommend waterproof boots and gaiters. I couldn’t find my gaiters the night before and did okay without but breaking through the snow around 3500ft or so, my friend sunk into the snow to almost his kneecap which was just above his gaiter. In other words, we got quite a bit of snow. Easily 6-8+in. That said, it here was lots of active melting with water running down the trail. Being in the sun/shade also made an obvious difference in the amount of snow and the amount of melting going on. A little bit of ice here or there on bare rock.

Ran info a number of people coming down and at the top of the ski trails. Highlight of the day was probably getting congratulated on my redline finish by someone I didn’t recognize 😂 Had lovely conversation with her and she introduced me to Rocket21 which was pretty cool too ;) Always nice to put a name to a face! So many people had been along the ridge that there wasn’t much snow left on the trail. Mostly just slush and melting snow that was sometimes packed down. When it was packed, there would occasionally be a bit of ice. Most people were using spikes and they likely made things much safer at times, but for the most part didn’t seem necessary to me and I avoided wearing them *most* of the time.

The conditions made the mini-scrambles a bit more challenging and although I felt like we’d were going rather slow along the Ridge we made it to A before we even knew we were getting close! It must’ve been the fact I often end up doing an out-and-back on this ridge! There was also a good deal of puddles, mud, and general wetness along the ridge. Very pretty surrounding snow-laden trees though. Unfortunately, these trees rained/snowed (but mostly rained) on us tanks today the way though. We saw a lot of people along the ridge. This seemed to be a particularly busy day for the Wildcats!

The snow was mostly gone from the trail not too long after starting down 19MBT. I’m guessing around 3000ft. Lots of slick, wet rock and running water though. One down low, some sorts of the trail were totally dry having had the snow melted from them for awhile.

Sunny in the morning gave way to clouds later in the day. Breezy but didn’t feel too windy. I’m sure my opinion would have changed had I been on the summit of Washington ;)  
Name
Name: Liam Cooney 
E-Mail
E-Mail: liamcooney96@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2020-10-20 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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.

Copyright 2009-2024, All Rights Reserved