| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Breadloaf Mountain, Mt. Wilson, VT |
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 | Trails: |
Road 201, Emily Proctor Trail, Long Trail, Breadloaf Spur Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 30, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Road 201 to the trailhead is not plowed but Road 54 to Road 201 is. There is a big plowed lot just south of Road 201 - adds about 0.3 miles each way. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The regular crossing of the New Haven River was impassable. You could get 2/3 of the way on ice covered rocks but there was no way to cross the final third. Those who went the day before us went upstream about 50 yards and crossed. It didn’t look good either so we went up another 50 yards and used two small crossing (one to an island and one from the island) to cross. Slushy ice but the rocks were above the water. Used spikes. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Too many smaller trees down low and bigger trees up high to mention. You had to just push through the stuff down low while you could step over, crawl under, or go around the stuff up high. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
We had a dog with us and she did fine. |
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 | Bugs: |
None. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
Did this one with Monica and the Random Group of Hikers (www.meetup.com/rndmhkrs).
Our Vermont Vacation came to an end yesterday with a climb to two more NEHH Peaks - Bread Loaf and Wilson. Both are located within the Breadloaf Wilderness (not sure why they are spelt differently). I learned today that VT has its own version of a Presidential Range and that Wilson (named after Woodrow of course) is the southern-most peak in the range.
The hike itself is a rather moderate one that follows some old logging roads and a maintained hiking trail as it works it way through the largest wilderness area in Vermont. I had forgotten what a nice hike this is. The only challnage was crossing New Haven River - while there is some ice forming there aren’t any “bridges†so we had to scout out a place to safely cross.
One of the nice things about winter hiking is when you hear someone else did the hard work of breaking out the trail the day before you plan to visit. That was the case on this one - the work done by Erik Bertrand and Christopher Higgins on Saturday made our trip on Sunday “easyâ€. I was the only one to ever put on show shoes, and I only used them on the climb to help protect a sore Achilles’.
It’s become a “tradition†to gather up a bunch of random regulars to spend the time between Christmas and New Year’s hiking in places that we don’t normally visit - this year was no exception. We’d been to Maine and New York, but never Vermont. One joined us for all, two joined us for most, a few joined us for some, and one joined us for the first time. It’s always a great way to end the year.
#rndmhkrs |
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 | Name: |
Michael and Monica |
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 | E-Mail: |
michaelfblair@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-12-31 |
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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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