WMNF Closure!

Pemi below Woodstock now at 43,000cfs.
East Branch Pemi gage appears to have failed. Water made it up to 17' deep.
The Campton Pond dam on the Mad River has breached.
There is no way in or out of Waterville Valley at this time.
The Wild River is at 26,100cfs. If Spider Bridge weren't gone already, this would have taken it out. Heck, I suspect the former Spruce Brook Shelter area, and possibly even Wild River Campground, are under water.

Campton (exit 93, near Waterville Valley):

Routes 49 and 175 closed. Major flooding. More to come throughout the evening, including heavy winds. A miracle we still have power. The Campton Dam is breached and there's water everywhere.

Hope everyone out there is okay.

Somehow, I suspect that people in that past were perfectly fine going outdoors without even a thought of having a rescue available.

Now we need compulsory closures and fences with signs at the tops of our waterfalls. Just whip the 'ole iPhone and someone will come pick you up.

I feel sick.

People in the past had common sense.
People today are dumb.

To keep this post useful:
Kancamagus Highway is closed from Lincoln to Conway, due to several washouts. Bear Notch Road and the Passaconaway Road, on the eastern side of the Kancamagus, are closed also.
Woodstock's 'Green Bridge,' spanning the Pemigewasset River over Route 175, also has been closed.
A portion of Route 302 in Bartlett is closed.

I would also suspect Jefferson Notch Road will be undriveable.

Stash said:

..so my statment would not change and I really see nothing wring with NFS publishing a "closed" status to communicate potential danger. I don't see it as a power grab. I see it as them simply trying to tell those a little less informed that they really shouldn't be out there.

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Agree. Although things have worked out a little differently (water rather than wind the primary issue in 2011), this could have been another Hurricane of 1938. Combine that with the proven tendency of cretins to place themselves and first responders in mortal danger, and IMHO the USFS has little choice.

These same images have been on WMUR. But if you haven't seen it, the dam at Campton hasn't breached yet in the truest sense of the word. It is holding but under a watchful eye, they've evacuated those immediately downstream.

Parked and walked down to take this video.

Also, I just saw that the LOON Mtn. bridge is in danger of washing out. Although, the East Branch appears to be receding.

Several bridges reported to be out on Wheelerville Road, so no access to the Bucklin Trail on Killington for a while. Rte 4 in that vicinity is closed, and over in Killington Flats the river has undermined Rte 4 and washed away a house. Ludlow is under water, too. So no real access to that area for a while.

Not hiking related, but the Ottoquechee Rte 5 covered bridge and Lower Bartonsville covered bridge in VT are gone.

MichaelJ said:

Several bridges reported to be out on Wheelerville Road, so no access to the Bucklin Trail on Killington for a while. Rte 4 in that vicinity is closed, and over in Killington Flats the river has undermined Rte 4 and washed away a house. Ludlow is under water, too. So no real access to that area for a while.

Not hiking related, but the Ottoquechee Rte 5 covered bridge and Lower Bartonsville covered bridge in VT are gone.

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Yikes. Hydropower at work.

Thanks for the updates while I swelter in Colorado. In some respects I am relieved that scientists and government officials proved so many of you wrong.

Water is well over Route 4 in Woodstock, VT. Quechee covered bridge is gone; I've heard the Taftsville bridge is gone, too. Lots of washed out roads. Hard to believe...

Frodo said:

I think that they are just overreacting to all of the media hype. I don't remember them closing it during the ice storm of 98 and that was a much more serious situation...

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Ummmm................with all due respect.....not quite.
During the ice storm there was likely next to nobody on the WMNF except for a very few hikers. All huts, campgrounds, shelters pretty much empty except for a very few. Check out todays video (WMUR website) of the Pemi adjacent to Loon if you still think the storm was over-hyped.

Rte. 302

Does anyone know if 302 has had washouts or is closed? I heard it mentioned on the news, but I didn't catch if they were just talking about side streets or the highway itself.

edit - I see it's closed in Bartlett but otherwise?

wisher said:

Does anyone know if 302 has had washouts or is closed? I heard it mentioned on the news, but I didn't catch if they were just talking about side streets or the highway itself.

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I heard it is both closed with washouts.

wisher said:

Does anyone know if 302 has had washouts or is closed? I heard it mentioned on the news, but I didn't catch if they were just talking about side streets or the highway itself.

edit - I see it's closed in Bartlett but otherwise?

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This might be helpful:

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=41731

wisher said:

Does anyone know if 302 has had washouts or is closed? I see it's closed in Bartlett but otherwise?

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According to the DOT closure list:
"wash outs, flooding, 4th Iron Bridge gone".

Sounds like a bunch of roads are closed right now.

Rt 302 from Bartlett up to Crawford Notch closed.
Rt 16 from Glen to Gorham closed.
The Kanc from Lincoln to NConway closed.
Areas around Twin Mtn too.

Nobody seemed to know if it was from actual washouts, or just bridge inspections or just precautionary for possible washouts.

Hoping no major washouts! Guess we will see tomorrow... seems the White Mountain region got hit by Irene much worse than we did just an hour south in Concord, NH which was really tame down here and not bad at all.

Two bridges on VT 100 in Pittsfield are washed out. Pittsfield is north of Killington, and that section of 100 is often used as a connecter between I89 and US4.

Here's a more complete source of road problems:

http://www.511vt.com/default.asp?area=VT_statewide

Kevin Rooney said:

Two bridges on VT 100 in Pittsfield are washed out. Pittsfield is north of Killington, and that section of 100 is often used as a connecter between I89 and US4.

Here's a more complete source of road problems:

http://www.511vt.com/default.asp?area=VT_statewide

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In central Vermont, I think there more roads closed than open. Basically, you can't drive anywhere right now. I know people who are completely cut off, and likely will be for a while.

wisher said:

Does anyone know if 302 has had washouts or is closed?

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Watching WMUR, the bridge over Sawyer River on 302 has been compromised and may collapse. One side was several feet lower than the other in the image they showed. 4th Iron Bridge refers to the rail bridge, correct?

I assume this means Sawyer River Rd. took a hit along with other NF roads, most likely.

TDawg said:

Watching WMUR, the bridge over Sawyer River on 302 has been compromised and may collapse. One side was several feet lower than the other in the image they showed. 4th Iron Bridge refers to the rail bridge, correct?

I assume this means Sawyer River Rd. took a hit along with other NF roads, most likely.

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I'm not sure; I saw that piece on WMUR too, and I think the NHDOT were referring to the Sawyer River bridge. They said the bridge was being considered to have failed, and they only mention the one failure. I don't know if the DOT would be concerned with the rail bridge on their list of road closures.