P
PeterB
Guest
Date of Hike: 5/22-09 to 5/24/09
Trail Conditions, the Short Version: There was mud, blowdowns throughout (I moved small stuff as I went along), a few patches of snow, some ice, and several water crossings, but save the mile of rotten monorail on the east side of South Twin (Twinway), nothing really slowed me down. So, if you are headed that way in the next few days, I'd figure out a plan for the Twinway -- I doubt snowshoes are a solution and would recommend putting on tall gaiters and pushing through.
Trail Conditions, the Long Version:
- 5/22/09: Lincoln Woods Trail (long, flies and mosquitoes, some mud); Wilderness Trail (blowdowns, more mud, more bugs); Bondcliff (all water crossings passable without water shoes, though recent rain may have changed that; plenty of water sources before you come up out of the trees below Bondcliff; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning); West Bond Spur (monorail that appears to be getting more rotten; post-holed a few times, but otherwise could make my way on the rail, or on the sides; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning).
- 5/23/09: Twinway from Mt. Guyot (excellent for the first mile or so, then really frustrating wall-to-wall rotten snow (including beyond the trail in most areas, making buswhacking an almost pointless alternative; knee-high gaiters recommended; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning); Twinway from South Twin to Galehead Hut (quite pleasant as a descent; some patches of snow/ice, I think, but nothing worth slowing down for; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning); Frost Trail to Galehead (some mud and blowdowns but nothing major); Garfield Ridge Trail to Garfield Campsite (pleasant -- some snow/ice patches but all easily passable; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning).
- 5/24/09: Garfield Ridge Trail to Mt Garfield summit from the east (last .2 of a mile or so -- some longer icy patches, easily passable with care; some may prefer traction but I had no problem going slowly and using poles) GRT from summit to Mt. Lafayette (beautiful with some patches of snow that still have a firm monorail; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning; last water source that I saw was Garfield Pond); Franconia Ridge Trail until dropping into the trees before Liberty Spring Trail junction (clear of snow and ice for the entire way I think; biggest impediment to travel was traffic and some slippery conditions due to rain and general cloud moisture); FRT from within trees before LST junction to Liberty summit (some mud, some blowdowns); FRT to Flume summit (same as previous, more or less); Osseo Trail (slippery up top due to morning rain; a lot of mud patches in obvious run-off areas, stairs/ladders lightly slick due to rain and muddy shoes, quite a few blowdowns); Lincoln Woods Trail to parking lot (same as on 5/22, but with considerable foot traffic this time!).
Special Equipment Required: Nothing required. I carried water shoes, gaiters, and microspikes but never used any of them. I used poles for the entire trip but figure that is a personal thing (I found them useful 99% of the time).
Comments: It was an awesome trip and I got to meet some really nice people (Paul, Ken, and many others). If you want to read a trip report, I posted one here: http://calebandme.com/locations/pemi-loop-may-22-24-2009
Your name: Peter Begley
Your E-mail address: petebegley +at+ gmail [dot] com
Trail Conditions, the Short Version: There was mud, blowdowns throughout (I moved small stuff as I went along), a few patches of snow, some ice, and several water crossings, but save the mile of rotten monorail on the east side of South Twin (Twinway), nothing really slowed me down. So, if you are headed that way in the next few days, I'd figure out a plan for the Twinway -- I doubt snowshoes are a solution and would recommend putting on tall gaiters and pushing through.
Trail Conditions, the Long Version:
- 5/22/09: Lincoln Woods Trail (long, flies and mosquitoes, some mud); Wilderness Trail (blowdowns, more mud, more bugs); Bondcliff (all water crossings passable without water shoes, though recent rain may have changed that; plenty of water sources before you come up out of the trees below Bondcliff; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning); West Bond Spur (monorail that appears to be getting more rotten; post-holed a few times, but otherwise could make my way on the rail, or on the sides; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning).
- 5/23/09: Twinway from Mt. Guyot (excellent for the first mile or so, then really frustrating wall-to-wall rotten snow (including beyond the trail in most areas, making buswhacking an almost pointless alternative; knee-high gaiters recommended; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning); Twinway from South Twin to Galehead Hut (quite pleasant as a descent; some patches of snow/ice, I think, but nothing worth slowing down for; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning); Frost Trail to Galehead (some mud and blowdowns but nothing major); Garfield Ridge Trail to Garfield Campsite (pleasant -- some snow/ice patches but all easily passable; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning).
- 5/24/09: Garfield Ridge Trail to Mt Garfield summit from the east (last .2 of a mile or so -- some longer icy patches, easily passable with care; some may prefer traction but I had no problem going slowly and using poles) GRT from summit to Mt. Lafayette (beautiful with some patches of snow that still have a firm monorail; no mud/rail/blowdowns worth mentioning; last water source that I saw was Garfield Pond); Franconia Ridge Trail until dropping into the trees before Liberty Spring Trail junction (clear of snow and ice for the entire way I think; biggest impediment to travel was traffic and some slippery conditions due to rain and general cloud moisture); FRT from within trees before LST junction to Liberty summit (some mud, some blowdowns); FRT to Flume summit (same as previous, more or less); Osseo Trail (slippery up top due to morning rain; a lot of mud patches in obvious run-off areas, stairs/ladders lightly slick due to rain and muddy shoes, quite a few blowdowns); Lincoln Woods Trail to parking lot (same as on 5/22, but with considerable foot traffic this time!).
Special Equipment Required: Nothing required. I carried water shoes, gaiters, and microspikes but never used any of them. I used poles for the entire trip but figure that is a personal thing (I found them useful 99% of the time).
Comments: It was an awesome trip and I got to meet some really nice people (Paul, Ken, and many others). If you want to read a trip report, I posted one here: http://calebandme.com/locations/pemi-loop-may-22-24-2009
Your name: Peter Begley
Your E-mail address: petebegley +at+ gmail [dot] com
