Hi all,
I am trying to find out the trail conditions for the AT from Kent, CT to MA-VT border. We will be up there in 10 days for a 10 day hike. Thanks in advance, Cheers.
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Hi all,
I am trying to find out the trail conditions for the AT from Kent, CT to MA-VT border. We will be up there in 10 days for a 10 day hike. Thanks in advance, Cheers.
Likely wet, some spots icy and may have snow (particularly the higher parts like around Greylock).
Could always get a snowstorm (even though there haven't been many this year, but two this week in the region).
Of course, we could get more 60 degree weather instead as we had a few weeks back.
So, no one really knows for sure :)
NERFC Snow Page (weather.gov) - This link shows the snow levels - definitely gets deeper as you go south to north through that area, just depends on exactly how the trail lies on that map, as some areas are currently in the 24"+ depth around the northern end of the section you mention.
Not knowing the experience levels involved, some of this information may be a bit elementary. Echoing what BillyGr said, winter has been fairly mild in CT this winter until recently, but north of the CT border that changes. Regardless of conditions in CT snow will get deeper as you go north. I don't know how well traveled the AT is this year, typically a good deal of the trail does not get enough traffic to establish or solidify snow on the treadway. With freeze/thaw season on us, the most treacherous parts of the trail will be on the north slopes where sunlight doesn't reach for long and ice develops that hides rock and root. Melt water runoff can create voids under snow which can collapse without warning or sheet ice that can be difficult to move through. I have found a 50' length of climbing rope can help descending steep grades and helping others in a party past particularly difficult climbs. It's not a lot of weight, but can prove to be rather useful.
Weather is iffy this time of year and since forecasts are typically designed for valley towns a minor storm event forecast can drop a foot or so of snow onto the trail or turn to rain and put a half inch glaze on everything. Daytime temperatures forecasted in the 40's, can quickly become 20's at elevations over 1,000 feet without wind. Add a 20-mph wind to the equation and temperatures will be in the teens for a lot of the hike. As a result, I tend to be slightly over prepared at this time of year so I would bring clothing and outerwear for the mid-teens and 20 mph wind.
I would be prepared for snow covered trails at the 2'-3' depth as you move into MA from the starting point. Traction will be needed most everywhere. Bring micro spikes for sure and I would use trail snowshoes for breaking fresh snow on the trail and reduce the chances of post holing and filling up boots that will make things miserable quickly. I would also recommend aluminum trekking poles that have better lateral strength than composite poles in cold weather, there are some rather steep decent and ascents where you will probably find them handy.
I would also bring a printed map and compass even if you are using electronic equipment like GPS, cold weather doing what it does to electronics and batteries. Following a snow event, everything tends to look like trail treadway and blazes can easily hide at critical points.
Good luck and have a safe hike!
Thanks for the info. My group is section hikers who have done the AT up to this section. Went thru the Smokies one November and we went from shorts and t-shirts to micro spikes and mittens in 3 days. But, we are wimping out, staying in a Airbnb in Lee, MA and dropping one car off at the end of the day's hike and driving to the start. Most of our days are in the 10-12 mile range. We have hiked thru part of Virginia in the snow and ice, but I am most concerned about the steep descents with ice on the trail.
Good point, and starting from 341? (listed as where Kent is), you'll hit one of the steeper parts only a few miles in, in St. John's ledges. That was recently in a listing of steepest sections on one of these posts, and they are much like a staircase that someone left some of the steps out of :)Quote:
Originally Posted by tridavis
Hopefully that area is not too bad as suggested, but there is also a smaller section of similar descent (apparently not quite as steep, as it didn't make the lists) shortly into MA, descending from Jug End to Jug End road, and that could be a bit more issue with more snow possibility.
That one is also harder to avoid (unlike the first one, where you could backtrack if it looked too bad ahead, having hiked in only 4 miles, and even walk by road by going back about 1.5 miles, following that road downhill and then making a left onto a narrow road that follows the river to get back on the trail, as the section just past St. John's is, in fact, part of that same river hugging old roadway), where Jug End is proceeded by a fairly long section without roadways, and any side trails that get to a road are also likely to be steep (one I know is the Race Brook trail, which follows said brook, and at times the brook is more like mini waterfalls).
Yep, 341 is the start. I am not too worried about the accents, as we have gone up "ice chutes" in the NC Mountains in January with no problem. But one of the most scary descents we have faced is a 200' vertical descent of a chute near Grandfather Mountain in early February, at times, I thought "this is it" one miss step and I am GONE!!! Are there any descents that make you feel like this along this section??? Hey Guys, I really appreciate all of your feedback and help!!Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyGr
To St John’s Ledges and Jug End, I would add the NOBO descent of Bear Mtn into Sages Ravine.
My recollection from my thru hike SOBO, is that I don’t recall any especially steep downhills, just a few steep brief uphills.
Given your concerns and timing maybe you be better do this section SOBO.
That is my single experience and it was almost two years back. I’m sure someone with more local knowledge might have a more refined take.
If camping is still allowed at the Riga Shelter site, it is worth trying to fit in. Great views over the Housatonic River Valley.
Better to do this section with a snow and ice concerns than later when the mosquitoes of Great Barrington can leave you little more than a desiccated husk of former humanity.
near me in MA there is probably maybe 2-4" on the ground at 900' and 6-10" once you get above 1600 or so. unless we get another dump of snow i suspect there won't be much snow below 1600'' by the time you are hiking.
xc ski centers are real useful for gauging local snow depth, they don't typically make snow and tend to report daily on local conditions.
https://www.xcskimass.com/conditions/notchview - a little east of the trail near dalton/cheshire at about 2000' currently reporting 12"-16" base
https://www.xcskimass.com/conditions/canterbury-farm - a little east of the trail near becket/washington at about 1700' currently reporting 10" on the ground.
just a heads up, this has been a bit of an odd winter and there is a lot more blowdown on trail than usual.
If you have the right equipment, you will be fine. I've gone up and down the north face of Moosilauke with 24'' base of snow plus a foot of powder over it, no problem with a combination of snowshoes and microspike, though in a couple of places I wished I had crampons. But with a couple of hiking poles or at least one hiking staff with a carbide tip, you can manage. Nothing in your section remotely as challenging as Moosilauke. If you get nervous, try sidestepping down. Sounds like a great hike!Quote:
Originally Posted by tridavis
Just to be super clear, you will need at minimum microspikes, snowshoes (with traction), and one or two carbide-tipped poles. Vaya con Gaia--
Cascader
Long range weather models are showing a good chance of a couple of big snowstorms to hit western CT and MA over the next 2 weeks. March is not a good time to be trying to do a long section hike in those parts. April is worse with the snow turning to slush and trail into mud.
I want to mention that the trail on the south side of Mt. Greylock will often have substantial snow even when the base and summit have little-to-none. Last time I was up there a couple years ago, the base at route 8 had no snow in sight. By the time we got to Mark Noepel shelter the snowpack was nearly 2 feet deep, and a good part of the climb to the summit involved 3+ feet of snowpack with much deeper snow drifts. When we got to the summit, it was bare with only a couple inches of snow on the road.
To note Slo-go'en's comment, the long range forecast has turned into a 5-day forecast featuring two snowstorms. A 3'-5" snowfall event tonight (10th) through Saturday (11th) afternoon and a full blown Nor'easter Monday the 13th through Wednesday the 15th forecasted to drop around 18" foot of snow in the lower elevations and valley towns, translating to much more in the mountains which will make for some tough going. To make things more challenging, parking cars will be difficult with most towns having roadside parking bans for snow removal that means towing cars along the side of the road. There are some informal small off road parking areas that will likely be covered up by snow plows, some of the larger lots at AT trailheads may not be plowed that can cause some entry/departure problems without 4-wheel drive (and even with it).
As Sarcasm the Elf said, snow levels tend to be much heavier on the south side of the Mount Greylock massif, especially with a nor'easter that will be many feet deep and limit travel both on the roads and on the AT. The initial post suggested the 14th as the start of this trip, which is in the middle of the Nor'easter event. Given the difficulty of moving through heavy snow even with snowshoes along the AT in this area, bringing shelters and a stove may prove to be handy if trail difficulty is reduced to hours per mile and shelters may not be nearby.
Good luck!
They aren't saying anything on the later storm yet, but the Albany station just had a forecast for tonight/tomorrow with only 1-2" for MA/CT (basically anyplace east of the Hudson), with the higher amounts only west (mainly in the Catskills with the 4-6" spot there). So, I guess it just depends what one is right (if, in fact, any of them are ;).Quote:
Originally Posted by Traveler
The predictions are for 12-18 inches of snow in the Salisbury area and North for March 14.
hopefully OP postponed their trip! most of the trail in MA just saw 20" or more of snow. to add on to that, there is a massive amount of downed trees and limbs so the trail is sure to be an obstacle course at the moment.
Well, we did it. We went from no snow in Kent Connecticut to 28 in of snow just north of Lee Massachusetts. I will say this, I hope I never have to hike in snow again. Post holing through that, was an adventure all of itself, and it took so much longer. At times we were moving at 1.5 mph, and normally we do about 3 mph. I'm glad of the experience, after the fact, but I won't be doing it again. Thanks for all the advice. Cheers