| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Wildcat C, Wildcat B, Wildcat A, Wildcat D, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Straycat ski trail, Polecat ski trail, Catnap ski trail, bushwhack, Wildcat Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 14, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at ski area. Paid $10 for an uphill pass, but was never checked. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Took out about a dozen blowdowns on the ridge. Still quite a few between D and C (blowdown patch). |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Took the closed Straycat and Catnap ski trails (perimeter trails that link with Polecat) to avoid ski traffic. Someone barebooted this in the warmer temps, leaving some large postholes. This type of etiquette can result in hikers as a whole losing uphill access to ski areas. Wore snowshoes the entire time, in part for traction as there were some ice bulges on the closed trails. Ski conditions on open trails didn't seem as bad as expected.
Took the bushwhack from the top pitch of Polecat onto the Wildcat Ridge Trail. Wildcat Ridge Trail has generally 2 to 3 feet of snow pack with a few short areas with less (monorail) and some deeper drifts. Good, but loud, snowshoeing on the ridge. Some booters were generally only sinking 2-3 inches, but had some knee and hip deep postholes as well. Two problematic bulge ice bulges - just below C and below A. In both cases, snowshoes allowed us to bushwhack around the bulges. Microspikes would be outmatched for safe passage.
Did the scrappy bushwhack to the awesome ledges on C, perhaps the best views on the Wildcats. Snowpack in the woods is firm enough for excellent bushwhacking with snowshoes.
Brisk but clear weather. Presidentials lost a tremendous amount of snowpack and look very rocky at the moment. |
|
 | Name: |
rocket21 |
|
 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-01-14 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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