P
PeterB
Guest
Date of Hike:
Trail Conditions: 6/19 & 6/20
- Hale Brook (6/19): Wet rocks and some mud, but no blowdowns -- none were impediments to travel; all water crossings hoppable
- Lend-A-Hand (6/19): Roughly 2/3 of the trail had running water (little mud though); trail was passable by either hiking in 1-5+ inches of water, or by rock-hopping in places. Note: We were hiking in rain and expect this trail to be considerably more dry (including less standing water) 1/2 day+ after rainfall (less so with heavy rain). That said, overall trail easily passable.
- Twinway, Zealand (6/20: Too short to remember, but I believe each had a bit of mud and standing water, both easily passable) but otherwise no issues
- A-Z (6/20): Very, very muddy and many patches of standing water. Most of the mud and water were easily passable with creative and slightly wet/muddy foot placements. Encountered one mud/water patch roughly 1.5 miles east of Zealand junction that required plowing straight through (despite being ~4 feet wide) and was as deep as my lower shins. In general I chose to go straight through the muddy sections and rock hop where possible. Many patches of trail were also somewhat overgrown until the ascent to the Tom/Field saddle begins. A handful of the foot bridges (double logs) are deteriorating, but only one was in very poor shape). Ascent to saddle had no major issues. Same from saddle to Avalon junction -- water crossings full from rain water but easily passable if you don't mind occasionally getting your boots in the water.
- Avalon (6/20): No issues. Water crossings easily passable almost entirely by rock hopping, though high due to recent rain.
Special Equipment Required: None, though gaiters and poles may be useful to some (both for mud/water/traction due to rain). Quite a few bugs on the A-Z trail so bug spray would be helpful.
Comments: The rain wasn't that bad this weekend but the water issues on Lend-A-Hand were a bit challenging for my son who had a lot of traction issues (he's three so much of that is due to coordination and skill). I would not recommend the trail during rain for hikers with stability/slipping issues, though, on the other hand, it was a lot of fun too and my son had a blast even though he kept slipping. Photos/trip report at the following link:
http://calebandme.com/locations/fathers-day-white-mountains
Your name: Peter Begley
Your E-mail address:
Trail Conditions: 6/19 & 6/20
- Hale Brook (6/19): Wet rocks and some mud, but no blowdowns -- none were impediments to travel; all water crossings hoppable
- Lend-A-Hand (6/19): Roughly 2/3 of the trail had running water (little mud though); trail was passable by either hiking in 1-5+ inches of water, or by rock-hopping in places. Note: We were hiking in rain and expect this trail to be considerably more dry (including less standing water) 1/2 day+ after rainfall (less so with heavy rain). That said, overall trail easily passable.
- Twinway, Zealand (6/20: Too short to remember, but I believe each had a bit of mud and standing water, both easily passable) but otherwise no issues
- A-Z (6/20): Very, very muddy and many patches of standing water. Most of the mud and water were easily passable with creative and slightly wet/muddy foot placements. Encountered one mud/water patch roughly 1.5 miles east of Zealand junction that required plowing straight through (despite being ~4 feet wide) and was as deep as my lower shins. In general I chose to go straight through the muddy sections and rock hop where possible. Many patches of trail were also somewhat overgrown until the ascent to the Tom/Field saddle begins. A handful of the foot bridges (double logs) are deteriorating, but only one was in very poor shape). Ascent to saddle had no major issues. Same from saddle to Avalon junction -- water crossings full from rain water but easily passable if you don't mind occasionally getting your boots in the water.
- Avalon (6/20): No issues. Water crossings easily passable almost entirely by rock hopping, though high due to recent rain.
Special Equipment Required: None, though gaiters and poles may be useful to some (both for mud/water/traction due to rain). Quite a few bugs on the A-Z trail so bug spray would be helpful.
Comments: The rain wasn't that bad this weekend but the water issues on Lend-A-Hand were a bit challenging for my son who had a lot of traction issues (he's three so much of that is due to coordination and skill). I would not recommend the trail during rain for hikers with stability/slipping issues, though, on the other hand, it was a lot of fun too and my son had a blast even though he kept slipping. Photos/trip report at the following link:
http://calebandme.com/locations/fathers-day-white-mountains
Your name: Peter Begley
Your E-mail address:
