| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Wildcat A, Wildcat B, Wildcat C, Wildcat D, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, ski trails |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 28, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
19MBT Parking lot full at 9:45am |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Congrats to Sage for gridding out February, and many thanks to Alex who dropped us off in the morning so Sage and I could do a traverse and then spent all day in Gorham waiting in the car before picking us up at the ski area hours and hours later.
We got a purposefully late (for us) start so we could time our descent on the ski trails for after 4pm (rules of the ski area). Starting late on a Sunday has its advantages...by the time we got on the trails, others had broken things out (THANK YOU GLORIOUS TRAIL BREAKERS!). We wore snowshoes all day as the snow was too soft for barebooting once you get past the intersection with Carter Dome Trail (the first two miles of 19MBT are microspike-able, but after that snowshoes are needed). We took long breaks on both peaks so we could descend after hours on the ski trails (stay to the far right all the way down).
Everyone we saw today wore snowshoes, with the exception of a group of five who were tearing up the trail - postholes, not just footprints - on the way to Wildcat A. They turned around on 19MBT at the intersection with Wildcat Ridge Trail. This is the first time I have ever said something to anyone about snowshoe use because I usually don't care about footprints or churned up trail, and I do believe in HYOH and that barebooters have just as much of a right to be out there as snowshoers - BUT - these folks were seriously postholing and they were thinking of trying to make it over to Wildcat D, and from their conversation they were not that experienced, and there were young teens with them. IMO they would have been miserable once heading up the steeps and especially between the peaks, and quite possibly out of their depths. They also didn't seem to be that familiar with the trails. I strongly suggested they might want to wait until they had snowshoes or go on a day when the trail was much more packed down. They did end up turning back, and there were people who descended after them who wore snowshoes and probably fixed most of their postholes. I felt rude saying something, and I probably came across that way because I was huffing and puffing uphill and tired (sorry, if you are reading this, family we saw!), but I think it was in their best interests. One of them was expressing concern about getting up the steep bits of Wildcat A, so I think they were considering turning around before I said anything anyway.
As of 4pm yesterday, there is a nice snowshoe track between the peaks, with the exception of a short bit postholed by two really nice skiers who thought they would ski between the peaks but then turned back after descending Wildcat D toward C. The trails are going to need more snowshoe use before they are all packed down enough for barebooting. |
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 | Name: |
Trish and Sage |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-03-01 |
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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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