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Log inHiking forecast: No bugs, but watch for snow
Hiking forecast: No bugs, but watch for snow
by Outspoken on Thu May 22, 2008 5:16 am
Hiking forecast: No bugs, but watch for snow
High trails in northern New England might still have deep snow in spots.
The Associated Press
Memorial Day is the traditional start of the summer hiking season across northern New England, but people who climb the region's mountains this weekend could find something they might not have been expecting: winter.
From Vermont's Mount Mansfield to New Hampshire's Mount Washington or Maine's Katahdin, there's snow, and officials say it's deep in places.
In Maine, the heavy snowpack appears likely to delay the opening of some popular hiking trails on mile-high Katahdin, the state's tallest mountain.
The campground at Chimney Pond is normally open on June 1, but Baxter State Park Superintendent Jensen Bissell said that won't be the case this year. The park staff was calling campers who have reservations for the first week in June to arrange a change to a different campground or a refund, he said.
"We know we won't get up there the first week in June and we may not get up there the second week in June either," he said.
On Mount Washington, The Appalachian Mountain Club is expecting the usual influx of hikers this weekend, but rather than sunscreen and bug spray they're being urged to bring crampons and ice axes.
In Vermont, the Long Trail has snow on it.
"People in the next several days will encounter some winter conditions," said Ben Rose, the executive director of the Green Mountain Club.
The club oversees the Long Trail, which runs along the spine of the state from Massachusetts to Quebec.
Rose said that while this winter had more snow than normal, it hasn't been unknown to find snow in the mountains on Memorial Day in the past. It's been more than a decade since it has happened.
"I would say this is on the snowier end of the late-snow normal curve," Rose said. "It was a good snow year, but it's not historic."
Rose urged hikers to be prepared and use common sense.
He said people who walk through deep snow without snowshoes, a process he called post-holing, without proper footwear could be setting themselves up for trouble.
"If you start to chill, escaping in sneakers in the snow can be a hypothermia situation. When people take it lightly, and there's still snow, they can get in trouble," Rose said.
People are already having trouble.
Last week, two hikers from Pennsylvania called for help after getting into trouble in the upper reaches of the Dry River Wilderness in Hart's Location, N.H. One had lost a sneaker while trudging through five feet of snow.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=189216&ac=PHnws
High trails in northern New England might still have deep snow in spots.
The Associated Press
Memorial Day is the traditional start of the summer hiking season across northern New England, but people who climb the region's mountains this weekend could find something they might not have been expecting: winter.
From Vermont's Mount Mansfield to New Hampshire's Mount Washington or Maine's Katahdin, there's snow, and officials say it's deep in places.
In Maine, the heavy snowpack appears likely to delay the opening of some popular hiking trails on mile-high Katahdin, the state's tallest mountain.
The campground at Chimney Pond is normally open on June 1, but Baxter State Park Superintendent Jensen Bissell said that won't be the case this year. The park staff was calling campers who have reservations for the first week in June to arrange a change to a different campground or a refund, he said.
"We know we won't get up there the first week in June and we may not get up there the second week in June either," he said.
On Mount Washington, The Appalachian Mountain Club is expecting the usual influx of hikers this weekend, but rather than sunscreen and bug spray they're being urged to bring crampons and ice axes.
In Vermont, the Long Trail has snow on it.
"People in the next several days will encounter some winter conditions," said Ben Rose, the executive director of the Green Mountain Club.
The club oversees the Long Trail, which runs along the spine of the state from Massachusetts to Quebec.
Rose said that while this winter had more snow than normal, it hasn't been unknown to find snow in the mountains on Memorial Day in the past. It's been more than a decade since it has happened.
"I would say this is on the snowier end of the late-snow normal curve," Rose said. "It was a good snow year, but it's not historic."
Rose urged hikers to be prepared and use common sense.
He said people who walk through deep snow without snowshoes, a process he called post-holing, without proper footwear could be setting themselves up for trouble.
"If you start to chill, escaping in sneakers in the snow can be a hypothermia situation. When people take it lightly, and there's still snow, they can get in trouble," Rose said.
People are already having trouble.
Last week, two hikers from Pennsylvania called for help after getting into trouble in the upper reaches of the Dry River Wilderness in Hart's Location, N.H. One had lost a sneaker while trudging through five feet of snow.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=189216&ac=PHnws
"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'."
Erma Bombeck (1927-1996)
Erma Bombeck (1927-1996)
