Ice Storm Trail Clean Up

[rocket21]

All:

It doesn't take a rocket scientist (contrary to my user name, I am not one) to figure out that a lot of trails in NH (as well as other places) have been devastated by the ice storm.

If you're out on the trails in the coming weeks, please post a trail conditions report, regardless of whether or not there are blowdowns on the trail.

If a trail doesn't have any blowdowns, it'll save official (and unofficial) maintainers a trip to the trail, so they can focus their efforts elsewhere.

If a trail does have blowdowns, it'll give official (and unofficial) maintainers an idea of what they have to prepare for, so they can bring appropriate equipment, prioritize, etc.

Thank you for your help!

 

[RoySwkr]

After the last similar storm in the Whites, authorities claimed it would take years to reopen all the trails. I made it a policy to carry a folding saw and cut 2 blowdowns every hike, mostly small annoying ones and not touching anything remotely dangerous. I wasn't the only one and the trails were all open the next summer.

There has been previous discussion of the legality of unofficial trail maintenance, but I'm going to do it again and hope one of the attorneys here will bail me out when I'm arrested To add to r21's request, if you see something particularly bad you might consider sending a coordinate to the official maintainer.

 

[Amicus]

In the Freedom, NH area (between Ossipee and Hiram, Maine), damage was minimal - not remotely comparable to '98, I'm happy to report. I was packing my Corona hand-saw on a local trail yesterday but had no need of it.

 

[Silverfox]

ice damage

While there was much trail ice in the Mt Dickey..Waterville Valley area there is little to no ice in the trees and nothing more than a few broken branches easily moved..

I will never forget going through the ice zone on Dicey Mill trail back in 98 with every tree covered in ice..those that weren't broken off were bent over to the ground..trees snapping and exploding all around....

sounds like it may be like that down south this time....

 

[Jason Berard]

Great idea. I plan on bringing my pruning saw with me on hikes for a while. "Many hands make light work" and all that.

 

[audrey]

I just got an e-mail from Windblown Ski Touring in New Ipswich. The trails are so devastated that it's doubtful they'll open for the season. I'm assuming that the entire Wapack Trail suffered the same fate.

 

[Frodo]

Since this was a Northern Mass/Southern NH storm, the White Mountains were spared (this time). I still remember practically bushwhacking the Hancocks back in April 98 due to the devistation.

Lots of people down here in Mass are still without power, and the trails in the Monadnock region (as Audrey pointed out) are going to be a mess for quite some time....

 

[Quietman]

The Wapack trail will be in very tough shape, nearing impassible from what I saw on the lower half of the auto road. Monadnock will also be very nasty. Anything above 600 ft in the region was impacted, above 1400 ft very heavily damaged.

 

[yvon]

Is the White (the northern and middle part) have been touched by this storm?
I dont think!! after reading the TR.


I want to go during the hollidays.

 

[rocket21]

Is the White (the northern and middle part) have been touched by this storm?

From what I've seen this weekend, the Whites seemed to be spared other than a few occasional, somewhat random pockets of heavy icing.

Parts of the Ossipees were hit somewhat hard, but other portions were fine.

I haven't been down to the Belknaps yet, but I hear that the Mt. Major area didn't get hit too hard.

Any trail maintainers down south (who have power and net access yet) have any particularly rough spots to report?

 

[islandside]

Mt Major trails

Hiked up Bay View Trail, and down Boulder Trail on Sunday morning. Cleared these trails. There were a few blowdowns, but mostly bent over smaller trees as opposed to large blowdowns These are now clear. I plan on checking on the Bee Line and Cross Link Trails this afternoon.

The View From The Top of Mount Major.

 

[Christa]

I'm assuming that the entire Wapack Trail suffered the same fate.

Drove over Temple Mountain this morning on the way to work in Peterborough and it is still quite a mess...and probably will be for a while. 101 is passable, but there's still lots of trees and wires/lines down on the side of the road, branches hanging from lines, trees resting against lines, trees completely uprooted, etc. Some of those were not exactly small trees, either. I couldn't get too good a look at the Wapack either toward the Pack Monadnock or Temple Mountain side, but I can't imagine from what I saw on the side of the road that had been "cleared" that it's very good. (And, I use the term "cleared" very loosely here.)

 

[carole]

As posted in the 'social group':
As of today (Tues 12/16) the trails around Major are in good shape regarding any ice storm damage. Most trails have now been walked and the debris cleared. A lot of melting went on yesterday but the trails still have plenty of ice cover so traction is highly recommended.

 

[bryan]

between babysitting my furnace (running it off my "toyota corolla" generator) i took a walk on blue job. hiked the main loop over the firetower summit with the axe and had it cleared in about 4 hours (minus one dangler). not as bad as i expected. can't speak to the trails to baldy as i ran out of daylight and decided to focus on the main loop. some of the side paths off the old firewardens trail leading to the woods road east of the summit have virtually disappeared in fallen pine.
will add this to trip reports.

bryan

 

[Quietman]

Miller State Park is still posted as "Closed, will prosecute and tow" but there were at least 10 other cars in the parking lot. The Wapack up S. Pack has been cleared of all downed trees and the auto road has also been cleared.

 

[erugs]

I hiked North Pack on Sunday and Andrew Brook Trail (Sunapee) on Monday and picked up sticks as best as I could. Some chain saw work will be needed. People unfamiliar with the trails might have a little trouble following them in some sections.