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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Saddleback Mountain, Saddleback Mountain - The Horn, ME
Trails
Trails: Hudson Highway ski trail, America ski trail, Connector Trail, Appalachian Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Friday, February 10, 2012
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: the ski area staff were super friendly and helpful and they have no rules against hiking as long as you are respectful, use common sense and stick to the edge of the trail.

the a.t. parking lot off of rt. 4 is not being maintained for winter and it would require some shoveling to get far enough off of the road to park safely. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Ice - Blue, Snow - Drifts, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes:  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes:  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: ski trails had good snow coverage for snowshoeing and the route i took was probably the most pleasant and mellow ski trail hikes i have ever been on.


the connector from the top of the lift line to the a.t. was easy to find and had seen travel recently. on the ridge it was a real mix of conditions with lots of hard crusty snow, some ice and a fair amount of unbroken and drifted powder. the most interesting drifted area is on the short steep section just below the false summit on saddleback heading to the horn. quite deep with good spurce trap potential if you end up in the wrong place. i had not been on these peaks in a number of years so i did a bit of creative route finding between them, but managed to follow the trail for the most part. in the few short wooded sections there was evidence of a prior footbed, but it was quite soft. i definitely would not recommed trying this hike in low visibility this time of year as i imagine the route would be quite difficult to follow.
i wore snowshoes the whole hike. given the mixed conditions on the ridge a shoe with a relatively aggressive crampon is your best bet. there is too much loose snow for crampons or light traction to be worn without lots of postholing though i would still carry them just in case.


a spectacular day for this hike. i had been meaning to get back up there in winter for years and finally got around to it. the views today were fanstastic with washington in one direction and kathadin in the other. great to be out.  
Name
Name: bryan 
E-Mail
E-Mail: bryancuddihee@yahoo.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2012-02-10 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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