Worst "footing" in the Whites

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NewHampshire said:
Have not been on it, but I hear the Tom Wiggin trail SUX!

Brian
Click to expand...

I hiked up Tom Wiggin in July '06 and concluded that the sign was false advertising (not that I doubt the sincerity of the WODC, but in this case someone got weak-kneed). It is fairly steep, but no more so than quite a few other trails in the Whites, some of which are mentioned above, and less than a few. It was not all that loose, much less so than some that follow old slides, as to the Hancocks and Tripyramids.

It was longer ago that I hiked to Mt. Tremont, but that Trail did not register as difficult at all - just a pleasant hike to a wonderful little summit.

Watson Path and that upper stretch of Pine Link, with those perpetually slimy boulders, earn their obloquy, in my view.
 
Sorry guys, the Paraphet Trail is freaking awesome!!!!!!!

-Dr. Wu
 
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albee said:
How about the Rocky Branch/Mount Isolation trail, anyone?
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Hum. Altough I wish I would never have to agree with Albee, I have to admit I had a unpleasant hike down the Rocky Branch Trail. All this water and mud ! It was like hiking in the Sewards, but without the ''home sweet home'' feeling.
 
albee said:
I found parts of the North Twin trail to have lots of loose rock that made me extra-cautious last month.
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Really? I remembered it from 2003 as being lousy footing, but when on it last weekend I found it not challenging at all. I'm sure being dry this time helped, however.
How about the Rocky Branch/Mount Isolation trail, anyone?
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I had problems there because of slipping and sliding in the mud on the flat sections. Not the usual reason for a poor footing comment! :)
 
Amicus said:
I hiked up Tom Wiggin in July '06 and concluded that the sign was false advertising (not that I doubt the sincerity of the WODC, but in this case someone got weak-kneed). It is fairly steep, but no more so than quite a few other trails in the Whites, some of which are mentioned above, and less than a few. It was not all that loose, much less so than some that follow old slides, as to the Hancocks and Tripyramids.
Click to expand...

The trail has actually stabilized quite a bit since these signs (top+bottom) were placed about 10 years ago. This is partly because of some new rock steps (with more to come), but also because reduced usage has allowed more vegetation to take hold in the treadway, which helps to hold things together. (Of course, this means there's more brushing to do - just can't win!)

When the signs were placed, you were pushing loose gravel downhill on every step, and there was a serious concern that gullys would form. After hearing repeated complaints from hikers to the effect that "I wouldn't have taken this trail if I had known it was so steep", the signs help to inform the hiker and protect the trail at the same time.

I believe there's an earlier thread about the Wiggin signs...

Personally, I think Lawrence and Old Paugus Trails have some of the worst footing, although it's relatively short sections, and some has been fixed with recent relocations.
 
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psmart said:
When the signs were placed, you were pushing loose gravel downhill on every step, and there was a serious concern that gullys would form.
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Like, say, the middle stretches of the Kinsman Ridge Trail above the tramway parking lot? Yowsa, that's a scary part, what with the 4' deep gully of the trail, the super-loose footing, and all the puncture-ready roots sticking out of the ground on the sides.
 
roadtripper said:
The footing isn't really too bad, but I still despise the Fishin' Jimmy Trail. Always wet, always dark, always awful.
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The trick to the F'ing Jimmy Trail is to only go up it. Come down some other route. I've found I really enjoy taking that trail up to the ridge, it goes through some beautiful and highly varied forest sections, and while in the beginning hours of a hike I don't mind the meandering.

Coming down, it's definitely a "get this over with" kind of trail.
:)
 
psmart said:
The trail has actually stabilized quite a bit since these signs (top+bottom) were placed about 10 years ago.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification - you can see that those signs are well-aged. The WODC trails are about my favorite network overall, for a lot of reasons. (I don't remember the Old Paugus as bad, but it was quite a few years ago that I last hiked it.)

I agree with MichaelJ about hiking the Fishin' Jimmy up - I liked it that way too.
 
sapblatt said:
...and I loved the Watson Path, although I still need the final .3 to the summit...
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1) The final .3 is the most characteristic (as to its rep).

2) Your key preposition is "to." It's my own fault, but I've descended this twice, and for me such a jumble is always much better done up than down.
 
psmart said:
The trail has actually stabilized quite a bit since these signs (top+bottom) were placed about 10 years ago. This is partly because of some new rock steps (with more to come), but also because reduced usage has allowed more vegetation to take hold in the treadway, which helps to hold things together. (Of course, this means there's more brushing to do - just can't win!)

When the signs were placed, you were pushing loose gravel downhill on every step, and there was a serious concern that gullys would form. After hearing repeated complaints from hikers to the effect that "I wouldn't have taken this trail if I had known it was so steep", the signs help to inform the hiker and protect the trail at the same time.

I believe there's an earlier thread about the Wiggin signs...

Personally, I think Lawrence and Old Paugus Trails have some of the worst footing, although it's relatively short sections, and some has been fixed with recent relocations.
Click to expand...

The WODC did a terrific job on the Tom Wiggin Trail! I went up this summer and it is very very steep, but I found the footing remarkably good. Most of the trail underfoot is nice, soft dirt and pine needles, not rock and roots. Probably the first little bit at the bottom is the worst, but then it isn't bad at all.
 
While not in the Whites, the Laura Cowles Trail on Mount Mansfield, VT, has pretty tedious footing. It is one of the slowest descents I know, because the rocks and roots make you stop and scratch you head every other step. It's a bad weather alternative to the Sunset Ridge Trail, but otherwise not much fun.
 
sapblatt said:
...and I loved the Watson Path, although I still need the final .3 to the summit...
Click to expand...
Yeah, I went up it one amazingly hot and humid June day (and liked it), but we heard a roll of thunder just as we hit the junction with Pine Link and booked for the hut for all we were worth.
 
I was headed back to Caps Ridge tr. from Adams. I had been warned that going over the summit of Jefferson was a better route than using the Cornice. I looked at the map and it seemed that the Cornice would save a lot of effort. It was a big mistake. The Cornice turned out to require far more effort and time...next time I will go up and over Jefferson.
 
Bob Kittredge said:
Yeah, I went up it one amazingly hot and humid June day (and liked it), but we heard a roll of thunder just as we hit the junction with Pine Link and booked for the hut for all we were worth.
Click to expand...

Funny - that is exactly what happened with me - gathering storm over Adams and I did not want to risk going over the summit - right decision.
 
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