| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Mexico, Big Rock Cave, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Cabin Trail, Big Rock Cave Trail, Old Paugus Trail, Bolles Trail, Bee Line Trail (Paugus Branch), Bee Line Cutoff, Bickford Trail, road walk |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 14, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Roadside parking area for Cabin Trail is plowed. I was the only one there a little after 9, when I got back a little before 2:30 there were 6 other vehicles. A few roadside parking spots have been plowed for Bickford Trail, but there were no vehicles there when I came out. As others have mentioned before, the roads in Sandwich (including Routes 113 and 113A) are riddled with frost heaves, so take them slowly. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Several crossings today. Crossing of Whitin Brook on Big Rock Cave Trail has an unstable snowbridge - I cracked it (but only got a few toes wet). Crossing of Whitin Brook on Old Paugus Trail 0.7 miles from its lower end was easier - the snowbridge was stable and I could see some rocks underneath it. The crossing of Whitin Brook on the combined Old Paugus/Bickford Trails (very close to Bolles Trail) had a snowbridge, but it had a hole in it from someone postholing. I crossed it in both directions without incident in snowshoes. The crossing of Paugus Brook on Bee Line Trail (Paugus Branch), very close to Bolles Trail, doesn't really have a snowbridge since so few people have used that trail. The ice on top of the brook is unstable (as I found out), but there are rocks to step on if you have waterproof boots and a good sense of balance. Several other minor crossings on various trails that were not difficult. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple minor blowdowns, but nothing major. All signs were in place, however I can see how someone descending Whitin Brook Trail could miss the sign for Big Rock Cave Trail. And the sign at the junction of Big Rock Cave and Old Paugus Trails only mentioned Big Rock Cave Trail - no mention of Old Paugus Trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Didn't see any. They'd probably be OK on most of the trails, but the steeper, icier ones might give them some trouble (unless doggy micro-spikes are a thing?). |
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 | Bugs: |
Nada. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Lost one of my water bottles. Found it 30 seconds later. It's a good idea to check that you have them whenever you leave a place where you stopped (for lunch, say). |
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 | Comments: |
This was an enjoyable and successful redlining loop. It was flurrying when I began the hike, and there was a dusting of snow on top of the hardpack on the lower Cabin Trail and on Big Rock Cave Trail. You could probably get away with micro-spiking partway up Big Rock Cave Trail, since the base is firm and there's not a huge amount of snow, but I wore snowshoes up it (and, in fact, for the whole hike). The descent past the Big Rock Cave to Whitin Brook is steep in spots, and the trail is hardpacked and somewhat icy, but I did fine in my snowshoes. In fact, I'd recommend snowshoes, because you'd posthole without them if you stepped off the packed trail (there was much evidence of this all the way up and down Big Rock Cave Trail), while with snowshoes, the crust on top of the snowpack is strong enough to support you. When I reached Whitin Brook Trail, there were signs that it had been used, but not that recently. Most of the traffic on Big Rock Cave Trail had continued straight at that junction (probably from people hiking Paugus). I continued straight as well. This final section of Big Rock Cave Trail had somewhat of a monorail, but whether or not it was a true monorail is debatable. The packed trail was roughly at the same level as the surrounding snow (which was only about a foot deep), but it was clearly raised above the line of postholes that almost continuously lined either side of it.
At the junction with Old Paugus Trail, some traffic had clearly gone up the mountain. I, however, went back down it. This section was heavily snowshoe-postholed by what looked like a lone hiker, probably on Thursday or Friday when it was warmer. Luckily, the snow was firm enough that I could hike alongside the snowshoe postholes without sinking in at all. The lower mile of Old Paugus Trail follows an old road, and it had clearly seen use but was hard-packed and still a little icy in places.
Once I reached the junction with Bickford Trail, I decided to do a little loop involving Bolles, Bee Line, and Bee Line Cutoff trails, so I headed up Bolles. Bolles Trail is a snowmobile trail in the winter, and thus it was well packed out. Micro-spikes or even bare boots would probably have worked on it, but since my snowshoes had worked well thus far I decided to keep them on. The short section of Bee Line Trail (Paugus Branch) that I was on was actually one of the toughest, both due to the water crossing and because that section was very hard-packed and the crust was very slippery. Spikes might have worked better for that section, but since it was only 0.2 miles long I kept my snowshoes on. The hardpack meant that the few previous hikers hadn't left much tracks, and since this section was in a Wilderness, there were no blazes, so you've got to look carefully to correctly follow the trail. Bee Line Cutoff was largely untracked and also unblazed, but my snowshoes mostly prevented me from sinking (micro-spikers would've sank 1-2 feet with every step), and the trail is generally straight and wide so it wasn't difficult to follow. I then returned to the junction with Bickford Trail.
My final trail of the day was the 2-mile-long stretch of Bickford Trail leading back to Route 113A. This trail was probably the best-blazed of any trail I hiked today, so keep a close eye for them. Large sections of this trail had been snowshoe-postholed, but I walked alongside them and was mostly able to stay on the surface of the snow. Snow depth was about 1.5 - 2 feet, but on the south-facing slopes it was less than a foot (and on some of the steeper south-facing slopes near the river valleys, there was bare ground). I think the road walk on Route 113A back to my car was about 0.6 miles.
I believe the whole hike was roughly 9 miles, and it took me about 5 hours and 15 minutes (less than I expected). I didn't see a single other hiker on any of the trails. With current conditions, it would be irresponsible not to bring both snowshoes and micro-spikes, and be prepared to change into the other one if it works better. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-03-14 |
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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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