To Whom Do You Recommend Trail Safety Improvements?

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Driver8

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On my hike of Osceola yesterday, I came upon a spot which raised a question - it's a spot I think, especially for the ascent, could really use a small ladder or iron rungs for safety's sake. It's on the western approach, maybe 0.2 above the upper brook crossing on the first of the switchbacks climbing most of the last 500' to the summit. Maybe 100 yards past the sharp left turn, there's a large boulder which, even on a dry day, was slick, slopy and sandy. According to the MyAltitude app it was at 3813' and 43.9977N (43 deg 59' 51") and 71.5400W (-71 deg 32' 23').

It looked like most people climb the boulder making use of worn roots loosly affiliated with its leftward, downhill side. I didn't feel comfortable with this at all - one bad step or snapped root and you fall a good 10 feet off the left side of the boulder or rip up a leg or ankle or knee.

And to try a climb of it to the rightward, uphill side didn't look promising - a small tree or two might've given some support and lift, but not much. The notion of climbing this rock, which was the trail, gave me the willies. I went off trail, left-ward and below it and came up the second humous-y, rooty, mucky small draw past it, rejoining the trail and then sizing it up for the descent upon my later return trip from the summit. Ended up the descent wasn't so bad - a slow butt-scoot down using the bigger of those two small trees on the upward side and the fanny as anchoring and support, with careful use of trekking poles to aid the landing.

Anyhow, I'd bet for most hikers who weigh half what I do, this spot's not so bad. But for a few of us, especially bigger folk with shorter legs, this is a doozy. I figured out how to get around it, but I bet in bad or wintry or shoulder season conditions, this thing's a beast - it was bad enough on a benign, dry, late-August day. The small roots on its downhill side which look to be the preferred footfalls are pretty ragged trending toward threadbare, if you will.

There are lots of spots on this switchbacky stretch that test the hiker's technique, as is often the case on steeper stretches of White Mountain trail - gotta summon some dance moves to spare the ankles, knees, etc. But this particular spot stood out to me as borderline dangerous, especially for a heavier hiker or a shorter one.

So, my thought - chip some footholds into this big boulder, or put in a small ladder, maybe 7" high, or rungs. Should I pass this on to Rolling Rock, the trail maintainer, last I heard? Or to the USFS? The AMC? What's the protocol?
 
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The adopter/maintainer can certainly make such recommendations, but only the USFS can make those kinds of decisions.
 
I noticed this spot last year. It seemed out of place on that trail, which is used by many less experienced hikers, and agree that it needs improvement from a safety perspective.
 
Trail signs will tell you usually which agency is in charge of that particular trail, and so will the WMG in the trail title..in this case as psmart stated it would be the USFS and off the top of my head think its the Pemi District..so if you knew the adopter you could pass on your concerns, and if not, maybe call Pemi Ranger Station and speak with the trail supervisor...and of course there are many spots on a good majority of the trails with similar characteristics that have been there forever so don't know if anything would be done soon or later!!

Update: checked and it is the Pemi District
 
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...and of course there are many spots on a good majority of the trails with similar characteristics that have been there forever so don't know if anything would be done soon or later!!

Update: checked and it is the Pemi District

Thanks, Lefty. I agree with DClynch that this spot sticks out like a sore thumb. This trail has lots or rough footing, though the grades are mostly mellow, but this spot is much more treacherous than anything else on the route. A ladder would solve the problem. Going under and around as I did also worked, but if lots of people did that - and it was evident that I wasn't the first to do this work-around - it would likely undermine the trailbed just uphill of the boulder and contribute significantly to erosion.

Having now done 19 White Mountain 4K summits, 13 once and 3 twice, I've seen a good sampling of trails in the area. I've seen lots of rough and difficult trail - Beaver Brook, Ammo and parts of OBP, Osseo and Lion Head stick out in my mind. But seldom have I seen a spot so uniquely treacherous, in the context of a route, that wasn't laddered or runged or chipped out for steps. Or maybe a couple good smaller boulders could be emplaced below it to make steps. I'm acquainted with Rolling Rock from these boards, so I reckon I'll copy him on my communication to the Pemi District about this spot.
 
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So, my thought - chip some footholds into this big boulder, or put in a small ladder, maybe 7" high, or rungs. Should I pass this on to Rolling Rock, the trail maintainer, last I heard? Or to the USFS? The AMC? What's the protocol?

I complete a trail conditions report after performing trail maintenance and mail it to the USFS Pemigewasset District so I'll take a look next time and inform the Forest Service. The Forest Service will be working on improving the Tripoli Road side this fall. I found the Greeley Ponds approach having erosion issues which I've reported.
 
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I complete a trail conditions report after performing trail maintenance and mail it to the USFS Pemigewasset District so I'll take a look next time and inform the Forest Service. The Forest Service will be working on improving the Tripoli Road side this fall. I found the Greeley Ponds approach having erosion issues which I've reported.

Thanks so much, Rolling Rock. I thought of you and how much work you must put in to keep up the trail as I hiked it. It covers some pretty rough terrain, especially in the area we're discussing, so I appreciate the effort you put forth and I'm sure others do, too.

Please feel free to use my comments from this thread in reporting conditions to USFS.

Another spot, less worrisome, that caught my attention and probably already has gotten yours is not long before this problem boulder on the ascent. It's just uphill past the last major brook crossing, before the first upper switchback as you ascend - significant washout of the trail, I'd bet from Irene. People have routed around it via the downhill bank of the trailbed, and it looks like you've tried to put some rocks into the washout in an effort to remediate it.
 
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One major caveat in general is one persons "improvement" is another persons desecration. For example, wildcat ridge trail from Pinkham notch used to be even more infamous than the trail is today. At some point there was significant rockwork that was done to make the route easier/safer including the installation of pin steps, cut in steps in the rocks and a lot of rock leveling in another area. There was much controversy at the time regarding the "improvements" with some folks decrying them. I always cringe a bit when a trail is described as unsafe as given the FS's current inclination, that's an excuse to abandon it.
 
I know the spot you're talking about, I was there a few weeks ago. It seems to be slowly getting worse over the years. Personally I wouldn't have had a issue with it except that I was carrying a passenger and that severely restricts my mobility at times.
 
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