Date: February 17, 2014
Trail Conditions: I ascended and descended the Old Speck Trail. It had a well packed snowshoe track about 3/4 of the way up. The steep pitch below the north outlook had deep powder and was somewhat slippery underneath so the going was very slow up that short stretch, but otherwise the part I broke out going up from there was excellent snowshoeing. Moose have been frequenting the trail for about 1/4 mile below the pitch, resulting in some challenging postholes, so that stretch was a little harder to break out. The trail is fairly obvious through this area, but you do need to pay attention as the moose wander on and off the trail and blazing is rather limited.
Special Equipment: Snowshoes, with snowshoe crampons were adequate. While I had microspikes, crampons, etc., I never used them.
Comments: A beautiful day in the woods with several excellent viewpoints toward the northern Maine mountains and views toward the White Mountains through the fairly open trees on the summit spur. The tower was heavily rimed and looked very slippery, so I elected not to climb it. The Eyebrow Trail appears to have had little traffic, with no apparent tracks since the last storm. The parking lot is generously plowed out.
Jay Baxter
Trail Conditions: I ascended and descended the Old Speck Trail. It had a well packed snowshoe track about 3/4 of the way up. The steep pitch below the north outlook had deep powder and was somewhat slippery underneath so the going was very slow up that short stretch, but otherwise the part I broke out going up from there was excellent snowshoeing. Moose have been frequenting the trail for about 1/4 mile below the pitch, resulting in some challenging postholes, so that stretch was a little harder to break out. The trail is fairly obvious through this area, but you do need to pay attention as the moose wander on and off the trail and blazing is rather limited.
Special Equipment: Snowshoes, with snowshoe crampons were adequate. While I had microspikes, crampons, etc., I never used them.
Comments: A beautiful day in the woods with several excellent viewpoints toward the northern Maine mountains and views toward the White Mountains through the fairly open trees on the summit spur. The tower was heavily rimed and looked very slippery, so I elected not to climb it. The Eyebrow Trail appears to have had little traffic, with no apparent tracks since the last storm. The parking lot is generously plowed out.
Jay Baxter
