Crawford Ridgepole Trail 2/2/13

[Paradox]

We took the Sandwich Notch Road (1.2 mi) to the Crawford-Ridgepole Trail (9.4 mi) to the Old Mountain Road (.8mi) We wore microspikes the entire way. We got a late start for this hike. We started up the Sandwich Notch Road at about noon. The ground was solid with sheet ice, solid snow crust or bare ground for most of the way. The only time going was a bit slow was from Mt. Morgan to Mt Webster where the trail was very lightly traveled, and snow was rather "doughy". We saw moose tracks or skat in snow or ice for most the way. Some very nice views from several spots the whole trip. The first half features a lot of puds and a few scrambles. A light snow moved in gradually, hence summit photos ceased. Our late start induced us to done headlamps about 5:30 (about Mt Webster) for the final 3 miles of the trip. From Mt Webster to the Old Mountain Road (about 3 miles) the trail is very easy with good footing and a relatively even grade. Finished in the dark at 7 pm.

GPS and Photos on Wikiloc.