| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Puzzle Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Grafton Loop Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 27, 2010 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking on Route 26 was open, clear and dry. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Mud, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Slush, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow - Spring Snow |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All crossings are open but easily crossed. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There were all of two minor blowdowns on the trail -- easily traversed/walked around. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A great day for a hike up this mountain not too far from Old Speck -- saw not a soul all day. Trail conditions of note: from the trailhead to about 1700 feet, trail is mostly dry and clear with an occasional remnant of monorail or patch of snow, all easily avoidable. After this and up to the first open ledge viewpoint (about 2200 feet), trail has firmly packed snowcover that was softening later in the day. "Broke" trail past this section -- the first open ledge viewpoint -- using MicroSpikes on an ice crust over three or four inches of recent snow. For the final push to the summit on the open ledges, though, I would recommend crampons, in particular going down -- the ice crust over the snow was pretty thick in some spots and difficult to break through without them. The entire summit area is crusted with thick glaze ice, including on the poor trees. Snowshoes would have been useless on any of this today. NOTE: did not do the bushwhack to the real summit of Puzzle Mountain, but instead was content to use the Grafton Loop Trail to access the open ledge area, where the three USGS markers are. |
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 | Name: |
Ernő Rubik |
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 | E-Mail: |
info (at) barkingcat (dot) net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2010-03-29 |
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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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