View Full Version : Starting in Pawling NY tomorrow heading south
Back on the trail
05-18-2018, 09:26
I am going to find anything but mud? Any local weather on the ground reports?
Gambit McCrae
05-18-2018, 09:36
Yea your gunna find a lot of rocks lol I went thru there and honestly the trail doesn't get bad sobo until us17 and that is a little rough for about 20 miles sobo be lucky there is a lot of rain, we had a 20 mile dry section after us17
Starchild
05-18-2018, 11:32
Not particularly muddy, a bit at the first 2 miles though fields, then not until NJ.
Yes, gotta love the fields at first! Then, enjoy the mud and rocks! ... but most of all, love the beauty of the AT~!
We have reports from 3 different people (1 trail maintainer and 2 hikers) that 2 different areas between NY 52 and Graymoor Spiritual Life Center are essentially impassible. One area took a thru-hiker 5 hours to traverse 1 1/2 miles. Another area a maintainer turned back after 1/4 mile because it was so bad.
Rescue resources could be significantly delayed or impossible if you get injured, ill or lost, due to storm impacts to the trail and surrounding roadways and communities. Allow emergency crews and volunteers to do the work they already have in front of them.
Suggest that you jump ahead to Graymoor Monastery or Hudson River. A northbound flip-flopper reported some blowdowns but no major obstacles between the NJ/NY border (the northernmost border, 4 miles south of 17A/Greenwood Lake) and the Graymoor Monastery. We have no reports from New Jersey.
Also would be good to wait out today's rains and then consider waiting another day or two. Soils are already saturated; a phrase we are hearing a lot in different places is the Trail is "like a river." When the trail is wet or muddy hikers may be tempted--or need-- to walk around certain areas, which further erodes and widens the Trail.
Updates are being posted at www.appalachiantrail.org/updates (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/updates) as they are available.
We have reports from 3 different people (1 trail maintainer and 2 hikers) that 2 different areas between NY 52 and Graymoor Spiritual Life Center are essentially impassible. One area took a thru-hiker 5 hours to traverse 1 1/2 miles. Another area a maintainer turned back after 1/4 mile because it was so bad.
Rescue resources could be significantly delayed or impossible if you get injured, ill or lost, due to storm impacts to the trail and surrounding roadways and communities. Allow emergency crews and volunteers to do the work they already have in front of them.
Suggest that you jump ahead to Graymoor Monastery or Hudson River. A northbound flip-flopper reported some blowdowns but no major obstacles between the NJ/NY border (the northernmost border, 4 miles south of 17A/Greenwood Lake) and the Graymoor Monastery. We have no reports from New Jersey.
Also would be good to wait out today's rains and then consider waiting another day or two. Soils are already saturated; a phrase we are hearing a lot in different places is the Trail is "like a river." When the trail is wet or muddy hikers may be tempted--or need-- to walk around certain areas, which further erodes and widens the Trail.
Updates are being posted at www.appalachiantrail.org/updates (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/updates) as they are available.
Listen to Laurie! She is an AT Assoc. employee!!!!!!!
NJdreamer
05-21-2018, 22:04
Wow. I am not arguing about hiking or not hiking there, but I hiked through all 3 areas Friday and Saturday, southbound. I did not see the alerts until I was home. Other hikers who were hiking the other direction told me, and had just hiked around the areas noted. One area is marked with white ribbons, showing you how to hike around it. The other 2 were not. Again, not arguing about possibility of getting lost. I got lost a year ago following a blue trail off the AT, and went in circles for 2 hours, on a sunny day. Just want to note that some of us have hiked through and around these sections, with just an extra 15 minutes or so each, and safely made it home. I am only a section hiker but imagine that thru hikers who have made it to NY can follow a detour or climb over a tree trunk or two. Regarding wet trails, it was nothing special from RPH shelter to Route 301 on Saturday. Yes, wet, but not flooded. Many thanks to those putting up the flags and maintaining the trails.
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NJDreamer, thanks for sharing your experience and reports from others, as well as your thanks to volunteers. We just learned yesterday at ATC HQ that trail maintainers had been out in New York starting by Friday or sooner clearing sections, so significant progress in clearing the Trail may have been made in the last few days but hikers should still use caution and stay safe.
We will do our best to post updates as they are available. We also need to keep in mind that the way one experienced, well-prepared hiker might perceive and negotiate a section impacted by the storm could be different from the way a novice hiker might.
Here's one update: Long Hill Road to Taconic State Parkway (1427.7 to 1430.4) cleared as of Friday evening, except for a few large trees that can be walked around.
I'll do my best to post some photos that show just how bad the damage was, and how impressive the work of the volunteers is.
Here are some photos, one from a hiker, one from a trail maintainer.
4276442765
Here are some photos, one from a hiker, one from a trail maintainer.
4276442765
My little saw wouldn't dent those trees.
spfleisig
05-22-2018, 14:20
We have reports from 3 different people (1 trail maintainer and 2 hikers) that 2 different areas between NY 52 and Graymoor Spiritual Life Center are essentially impassible. One area took a thru-hiker 5 hours to traverse 1 1/2 miles. Another area a maintainer turned back after 1/4 mile because it was so bad.
Rescue resources could be significantly delayed or impossible if you get injured, ill or lost, due to storm impacts to the trail and surrounding roadways and communities. Allow emergency crews and volunteers to do the work they already have in front of them.
Suggest that you jump ahead to Graymoor Monastery or Hudson River. A northbound flip-flopper reported some blowdowns but no major obstacles between the NJ/NY border (the northernmost border, 4 miles south of 17A/Greenwood Lake) and the Graymoor Monastery. We have no reports from New Jersey.
Also would be good to wait out today's rains and then consider waiting another day or two. Soils are already saturated; a phrase we are hearing a lot in different places is the Trail is "like a river." When the trail is wet or muddy hikers may be tempted--or need-- to walk around certain areas, which further erodes and widens the Trail.
Updates are being posted at www.appalachiantrail.org/updates (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/updates) as they are available.
How does on go about signing up to become a trail maintainer? I live in Northern NJ. Thanks
How does on go about signing up to become a trail maintainer? I live in Northern NJ. Thanks
https://www.nynjtc.com/volunteer-now
Back on the trail
06-01-2018, 17:30
So yeah the section was a trip, I was halfway from Morgan to RPH when a group said that this section was closed. My pictures echo the ones above a couple areas a little tricky but nothing out of control IMO. The worst is like three miles on either side of RPH. But that was last week by now that club probably has it all cut away. They were out Sunday/Monday doing awesome. Oh I do recommend the pizza at RPH. 3 hikers 3 pizzas 4 liters of coke as the rain fell. Many thru hikers - on day 70-78. One was in High Point shelter as the storm rolled past.