| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Baldpate Mountain - West Peak, Baldpate Mountain - East Peak, ME |
|
 | Trails: |
Appalachian Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, December 31, 2018 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Well plowed |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Many rock hops, all easy. Some will be covered tonight with new snow. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns and a couple limbo bars. All easy detours. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Plenty of open water sources until the lean-to (some of these may be covered by new snow tonight). Snow off trail was crusty. Our pup didn't have to swim through powder. A great day for her! |
|
 | Bugs: |
|
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Great day for hiking. AT is well packed and firm through the 2nd table rock junction, icy in spots. Spikes were perfect. After the junction, the newest layer of crusty snow/powder (1-2" deep) wasn't fully packed, although there was some nice hard pack underneath. Spikes did well for the flat section before the StairMaster. Once we hit the steep section, we switched to snowshoes because spikes weren't aggressive enough due to the fresh layer over the hard pack. Real crampons would've work for this section. It's not impassable in spikes, but you'll be wishing you had something better. We switched back to spikes at West Peak and kept them on until halfway up East Peak. The climb up East Peak is sketchy. Mix of open rock, ice flows, and hard snow on very steep terrain for the first half. Do not even try without traction. Halfway up East Peak, it switches to bare rock and we bare-booted to the summit. Put the spikes back on while descending Eat Peak and left them on until the car. We did 6.5 out of 8 miles in spikes, but the snowshoes were worth their weight and rental fee. |
|
 | Name: |
Tom J |
|
 | E-Mail: |
|
|
| Date Submitted: |
2018-12-31 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
