Now that the Wilderness Trail bridge over the E. Branch of the Pemi River is gone, linking the Hancocks with the Bonds requires either a 10mile detour to cross the bridge at the Lincoln Woods Visitor's Center, or a ford of the river.
My questions are:
1. Does anyone have an opinion on what flow rate, as measured by the E. Branch gauging station (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?01074520) would be the highest they would attempt such a ford? I looked at the river from the bridge at Lincoln Woods a few weeks ago when the flow was about 400 CFS, and wasn't sure I'd want to ford it.
2. Does anyone have a favorite/easiest spot for fording the river in the vicinity of where the Cedar Brook Tr. comes down to the East Side Trail? (I found some old threads about fording the river near the bridge over Franconia Brook, but I'm guessing that H. Irene pretty much re-arranged everything.)
3. Would fording the river be more feasible by hiking upstream and crossing the E. Branch on the Thoreau Falls Tr. bridge (is that still there?), and then fording the presumably smaller "North Fork East Branch?" (Of course that would also require a fairly long bushwack to connect to the Bondcliff Tr.)
thanks!
My questions are:
1. Does anyone have an opinion on what flow rate, as measured by the E. Branch gauging station (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?01074520) would be the highest they would attempt such a ford? I looked at the river from the bridge at Lincoln Woods a few weeks ago when the flow was about 400 CFS, and wasn't sure I'd want to ford it.
2. Does anyone have a favorite/easiest spot for fording the river in the vicinity of where the Cedar Brook Tr. comes down to the East Side Trail? (I found some old threads about fording the river near the bridge over Franconia Brook, but I'm guessing that H. Irene pretty much re-arranged everything.)
3. Would fording the river be more feasible by hiking upstream and crossing the E. Branch on the Thoreau Falls Tr. bridge (is that still there?), and then fording the presumably smaller "North Fork East Branch?" (Of course that would also require a fairly long bushwack to connect to the Bondcliff Tr.)
thanks!