| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Baldpate Mountain (West Peak), Baldpate Mountain (East Peak), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Appalachian Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Well plowed |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Ice - Blue, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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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: |
Having hiked Old Speck in the morning, I crossed Rt. 26 in my snowshoes for an afternoon hike to east Baldpate. There had been a storm since Bryan was up there. The only new tracks were a set of bare-boot prints, only going in one direction. It essentially felt like breaking virgin trail as the prints were small and the gait was narrow. Many of the postholes were quite deep. The tracks did stay right on the trail, which was not always straight forward. Moving fast to try to make time, I accidently followed the tracks off the AT, to the Baldpate shelter. Here I met the man who broke trail. He had not gone any further on the AT.
From the shelter spur route finding was easy, but trail breaking was hard as the trail got steep and the snow got deeper. Most of the way to the west peak, an indentation from previous snowshoe tracks was apparent. There is a very steep, snowed in ledge on the way down the west peak. This was dangerous to descend and difficult to climb. Cairns are still visible in the col and headed up the east peak. The surface alternates between deep drifts, ice, and bare rock. Lots of treacherous icy spots under thin snow. The final scramble up the east peak was slow and took a lot of care due to icy ledges. I did the whole hike in snowshoes, but many will want hillsounds or comparable traction. I didn’t reach the east peak until 4:00. Going down was even more precarious. However, once I got back on the west peak, going was fast. I made it to my care by 5:45, just barely avoiding a headlamp finish.
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 | Name: |
zporter |
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 | E-Mail: |
zap88@tds.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-02-27 |
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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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