| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Abraham, Spaulding Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Fire Wardens Trail, Abraham Side Trail, Appalachian Trail, Spaudling Side Trail, Sugarloaf Side Trail, ski trails |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 19, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Sugarloaf and paid for a ride to the Rapid Stream Trailhead. Access road to trailhead is extremely rugged and high clearance vehicles are recommended. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rapid Stream crossed by wading. Could be crossed by rock hopping with poles. High water on the South Branch Carrabassett River prevented continuing on the AT. Sign at Sugarloaf Trail Junction detours hikers to the summit of Sugarloaf and down the ski trails. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
AT is overgrown between Abraham Side and Spaulding Lean-To. A few blowdowns here and there throughout but easily passable. Hard to tell if maintenance is good otherwise because trails are so wet and muddy from such a wet summer. Additional drainage maintenance could improve mud, standing and running water conditions. Spaulding Lean-To privy stairs are broken and unusable. Plan to climb up onto the platform if you need to use it. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
A few. Nothing of note. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Fire Wardens Trail conditions are good until the last half which is extremely steep. Adding some switchbacks might be helpful. Weather forecast was all over the place the week prior and despite best efforts to hike in a good weather window we got caught in rain, wind and low vis soon after entering the alpine zone on Abraham. It was cairn to cairn for a while on loose cobble. On reaching the top of Abraham we just kept on going... nothing to see, the weather was horrible and we were running out of daylight. The hike to Spaulding Lean-To was in the rain, on trails with mud, standing and running water with some spots that are overgrown. Reached the lean-to in the dark and despite plans to set up a tent we just slept in the lean-to with a couple other hikers. Lean to has mice but doesn't leak even through an all night wind driven downpour. Store food with mice in mind.
Next day brought the sun and heat. Trail was muddy with standing and running water all the way to Sugarloaf. Descent down the Sugarloaf ski trails was steep with grass chest high and obscuring the various ditches and holes on the surface. Also tried the glade and finally found a dry wash which worked out better. We never found the Sugarloaf Trail. Stakes and blue tape were used for a mountain bike event held the day prior and were still up. The ground was torn up with bare ground and loose rocks making it hard to find and follow the trail. |
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 | Name: |
Flyboy |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-08-29 |
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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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