Is there an unusual amount of blowdowns?

I've been reading the trail conditions page and it seems like there are a huge amount of blowdowns on the trail. Was there a big windstorm recently or is it from the heavy snowfall we recieved? There are even trail descriptions about people turning around because there are so many blowdowns; is it really that bad?

I need to get out and might go out next week.

Was in the catskills last weekend and under the snowline which was about 2500' on Panther/Giant Ledge, there was obvious ice damage on the trail just around 2400-2500' so at the elevations between rain and snow, there must of been some freezing rain that caused all the blowdown you've seen in the trail reports..

Jay

Mongoose said:

is it really that bad?

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Yes, in the Whites anyway, from what I experienced last saturday and the reports I've read. Leave a little extra time for travel and go forth with the proper attitude, and you'll be okay. Dogs and young people should probably stay home.

Mongoose said:

I've been reading the trail conditions page and it seems like there are a huge amount of blowdowns on the trail. Was there a big windstorm recently or is it from the heavy snowfall we recieved? There are even trail descriptions about people turning around because there are so many blowdowns; is it really that bad?

I need to get out and might go out next week.

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In a word, YES!

The wet, heavy snow has brought down a large number of smaller trees that still had their leaves on them. There are also some larger trees down, limbs of larger trees down, and even fir trees that are bent under the weight of this snow!

Some of the trees can be rescued from their snow-prisons by knocking off the snow, and freeing their tops from touching the snow on the ground. But I did not have the energy or the time to try this with every tree I encountered. There were hundreds of them on a climb up to Hurricane Saturday.

Catskill Blowdown

Not sure what area you are thinking of heading to.....

I also was out in the Catskills last weekend- BC and Friday, from Moonhaw - and we also noticed it appeared a signficant windstorm had ripped through. In that case, it actually made life easier because the branches that normally would have been poking us in the eyes and ripping up our gear was scattered across the ground. The vegetation was more open than it has been in the past.

Margaret

We were on Lowe's Path on Saturday. Leaves were still on the trees and many small ones were bent over from the weight of the snow. Many parts near the bottom of the trail could not be followed. We constantly had to go off trail to avoid the bent trees. We met a group who went up to Gray Knob on Friday. They had broken trail and said it took them 10 hours to get to the cabin.

Mtnpa: wish you had continued up! We were there!

When we returned from Grey Knob on Sunday, many of the bendovers were righting themselves, and it was siginificantly better travel. What made travel so difficult was the combination of deep unconsolidated snow over uneven terrain complicated by having to go around all of the downed trees. It was rare to have 3 smooth steps in a row, so you never got into any sort of rhythm. Even once a trail was broken, you were still left with 12-18 inches of loose snow. Easier, but still a lor more difficult than normal.

Mongoose: you will do fine and likely enjoy the hike. Conditions will hae improved siginificantly by then. It's beautiful out there. Besides, we need to see some of your newer photos!

Mongoose,

It shouldn't be too bad by now if you're considering the Whites. I was on the Garfield Trail last week, and the blowdowns were horrible below about 3000' or so, then miraculously, everything cleared the rest of the way up (the trail, not the sky). It was one of those situations where if I went around them I ran the risk of losing the trail, but if I went through them I got smothered in snow.

Fantastic photos, by the way!

Yes it was bad, and it wasn't just the Northern parts of WMNF. I did Dicey's Mill up Passaconaway and it was just as bad. Between the uphill hiking, the snow depth, and the bend-overs, I turned back. My progress had slowed to a crawl.
I think blow downs is a misnomer for what I encountered. Most of the mess was just saplings bent over from the weight of the snow and frozen into the snow on the ground. Sometimes they could be pulled out, sometimes not. A couple of times when I had to go around them, the trail location was pretty tough to find.
I haven't been out since, but I'm sure the situation has improved with the warmer temps this week. It couldn't get any worse.
It was still better than a day at work though.

in MA

In MA the high winds associated with the past few heavy rains brought down a lot of trees and branches.

When we were on Jackson last friday night, some of the trees actually sprung back up after being given a good shake. Unfortunately most of the leafy trees were true blowdowns. And there were plenty of them, we spent the evening crawling over and under trees, it was worst than early spring trails I've seen in the past.

Hey Sherpa,
We would have loved to continue. Our hiking time was restricted by having our parents visiting. (Both sets, why couldn't they visit on one of the previous rainy weekends ) Our plan was to hike up Crescent Mtn, but we were unable to park near the trail. Mtnmama saw some of your cars at Lowe's, so we headed for the hut. Due to a very late start and the conditions we didn't make it that far. The forest was beautiful. We had a nice picnic and had fun dodging the snow bombs on the way out.