| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Ethan Pond Trail, Ethan Pond Shelter Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, December 28, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No scary ones this day but many small but deep, washed out drainages from the Festivus storm |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns here & there, the worst being one in Zealand Notch which had to be bushwhacked around & would be challenging for anyone on skis this winter. Minor trail-finding challenges but needed GPS only 3 or 4 times. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I would not subject a dog to this particular hike given the current conditions. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Crawford Depot to Willey House Station Road
Avalon/A-Z to Mt. Tom Spur/Willey Range Trail was a packed out super highway. We donned snowshoes for the rest of A-Z Trail and found pretty good going to Zealand Hut. Mostly we somewhat “floated” on top of the crusty snow, but every 20th step or so we’d break through and sink anywhere from a few inches to over a foot. Snowshoes are absolutely necessary here or else you will be sad. There were many little drainages to cross, with & without water. Some were deep & required sort of downclimbing into in order to cross safely (too wide for jumping).
Switching from snowshoes to spikes, we diverted to Zealand Hut to discuss the rest of the day, originally planning on Twinway to Zeacliff & down Zeacliff Trail. But it was already 11 am, and we wisely decided to save that for another day. Descending back to Zealand Trail/Ethan Pond Trail junction, we once again donned snowshoes for the 7.5 mile slog (and it WAS a slog, haha) via the AT to Route 302. There were no evident human tracks between the Hut turnoff to Willey Range Trail, but there were a TON of various animal tracks, including an otter slide track in Zealand Notch!!!
Traversing Zealand Notch we witnessed the recent power of goofy weather/climate change, with multiple frozen washouts coming off Whitewall Mountain. Some were quite impressive and required a bit of finesse in order to negotiate. In one spot I wished for my ice ax as I gingerly dug in the snowshoe crampons while sidestepping across an icy washout.
Eventually we rounded the corner and clicked off landmarks: Thoreau Falls & Shoal Pond Trails, and finally Ethan Pond Shelter Spur, which I “had” to do. :) This entire stretch is normally wet, & the many, many bog bridges were tricky & interspersed with “crevasses,” chasms, frozen/undermined booby traps where the surface “might” hold… or it might not & you would suddenly DROP a couple of feet through air beneath the thin ice. In other words, it was nasty but great fun at the same time.
Upon finally reaching Willey Range Trail, the much anticipated lovely snowshoe track was not to be. We were met with a bareboot sh*tshow which we attempted to smooth out with our snowshoes. We were very happy to reach Route 302 just before needing to pull out the headlamps. A solid near 14-mile day with a great, uncomplaining trail partner. We met zero hikers except for those at the Hut. Success! |
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 | Name: |
Snowflea |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-12-29 |
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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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