| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sugarloaf Mountain, Spaulding Mountain, Mt. Abraham, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Access road, Sugarloaf Side Trail, Appalachian Trail, Spaulding Side Trail, Mt. Abraham Side Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, August 13, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked in the lot for the Sugarloaf hotel. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Standing/Running Water on Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None. This route avoids the crossing of the South Branch of the Carrabasset River on the AT, which apparently has a rudimentary log bridge, and the crossings of Rapid Stream on the way to the trailhead for the the Mt. Abraham Fire Warden's trail. Note that the bridges over Rapid Stream mentioned in the 2012 edition of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide are not there (apparently washed away by hurricane Irene in 2011). |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Wet and muddy spots were mainly on AT between Sugarloaf summit and Spaulding side trail junction. It had rained a lot over the preceding two days. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
No major problems. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Spaulding and Abraham were #64 and #65 of the NE 67 for me. (I had previously climbed Sugarloaf in 1974.) Machinery Access Road up Sugarloaf starts just behind lower station of Quad chairlift. It is a STEEP, unrelenting uphill grind for about two miles on a dirt road covered by loose rocks and gravel, which probably explains why it's not metnioned in the AMC guide anymore. There is a also hiker's trail (signed in summer) up one of the ski slopes and vaguely parallel to the road, but it's not much better.
The summit of Sugarloaf is cluttered with towers, an apparently out-of-service summit building and other equipment, but the summit cairn is easily found and from there the blue-blazed Mt. Sugarloaf Trail down to the AT. Several of the blue blazes have obviously been painted over white blazes, and I found an AT trail marker in the trail on this section, which indicates that the AT once went up to the summit of Sugarloaf and was later relocated. The jct with the AT is reached after about half a mile. Turn left (south) for Spaulding. At the plaque placed in 1987 to commemorate the completion of the AT on August 14, 1937, there was a special hikers' register in a plastic box, which I and several other hikers signed. It will be used as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations this weekend. Views from Spaulding (where a new-looking summit sign says the elevation is 3988 ft.) are limited, but a short side trail has pretty good views towards Sugarloaf. Views from Abraham (locally pronounced "Abram") are magnificent in all directions. I went back the same way. This is a very long hike (at least 16.6 miles RT). |
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 | Name: |
Primal Hiker |
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 | E-Mail: |
carter.michael@sfr.fr |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-08-15 |
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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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