View Full Version : LT state of trail?
Yamagame
05-11-2012, 15:03
I got a tip from some people at the ATC that sections of VT along the AT (i.e. the Southern half of the LT) received a lot of damage from Hurricane Irene (like, sadly, much of VT).
Any word on the state of the LT since then?
We had a work party maintaining the trail up and down Bromley this past week. Nothing out of the ordinary in the way of damage.
There is a roadwalk due to Irene north of Clarendon - Rt 103. Big chunks of the treadway are totally gone. The trail gets better close to Gov Clement shelter. Will post a map of the roadwalk latter this weekend.
Also, plenty of damage to the boardwalk near Thundering Falls.
There were lots of reports all last summer of "floating" bog bridges north of Peru Peak shelter due to beaver activity. That was on the repair list but Irene has changed the priorities quite a bit.
There were lots of reports all last summer of "floating" bog bridges north of Peru Peak shelter due to beaver activity. That was on the repair list but Irene has changed the priorities quite a bit.
They were floating last July, sinking a foot or so when one steps on them, but quite manageable in crocs.
I did Stratton loop yesterday, starting at F.S. 341 intersection with Stratton-Arlington Rd., taking A.T. over summit as far as the pond, back to F.S. 341 and to car. The bugs are average this year, per the summit caretakers, and mud season ended in the past week in this neighborhood - it was drier yesterday than when I did the southern Stratton ascent there-and-back on 10/9/10. The mosquitoes ate me for dinner from the pond back to my car from 7 to 8:50 in the evening. I forgot the DEET, alas. No problem for me with black flies.
PS: There were some significant blow-downs along the way. Trail workers were out this weekend - I met one along the way. So one can hope they clear the trail of most of the issues along the way. Some other Irene damage, but not terrible. Stratton-Arlington Road washout between Stratton village and West Wardsboro was repaired, albeit patchily.
Jeff: any word on when S-A Road from Deerfield River to Rt. 7 will be repaired and re-opened? Jean and Hugh at the hut didn't know and didn't seem confident.
Has Tucker-Johnson shelter been rebuilt after the fire? If not, are there signs posted so hikers know not to count on it? I know of at least one hiker who was looking for it at nightfall with no luck, as AWOL's guide lists it as there. Thanks.
Stratton-Arlington Rd from the AT west to Arlingtion is probably not going to be available in 2012. There are literally miles of the road missing.
Tucker-Johnson has NOT been rebuilt and is noted as such in The Companion. With so many other Irene related trail projects, I am pretty certain the shelter will not be rebuilt this year. I will pass along to GMC your suggestions about posting that info up and down the trail.
Thanks Jeff. In this case it would have prevented a bit of aggravation and some wasted time and miles. For someone foolishly depending upon the shelter it could present more of a problem.
Stratton-Arlington Rd from the AT west to Arlingtion is probably not going to be available in 2012. There are literally miles of the road missing.
Thanks for the update, Jeff. It's amazing the extent to which the roads have been recovered in Vermont. More to be done, but an amazing job has been done to get things to where they are.
Monkeywrench
05-21-2012, 09:39
The Connecticut Section of the GMC had our annual spring work party based out of Kid Gore Shelter this past weekend. The trail from the summit of Glastenbury north to Story Spring Shelter is in fine shape, with a couple of blow-downs between Kid Gore and Story Spring the only exception. We worked a lot on cleaning out water bars and getting the drainage in shape.
anjenaire
06-14-2012, 07:55
Hey Jeff, what can you tell me about the Mad Tom Notch Road and the trail into Griffith Lake? I saw on the Manchester Ranger Station site that this was closed but I wanted to confirm. Looking to do a quick overnighter next week (need to be somewhere Saturday afternoon) and thought about hiking in to Giffith Lake but want a quick exit on Saturday morning.
Mad Tom Notch Rd is open to the AT/LT trailhead parking north of Bromley (by the old water pump). I have heard that same road running to the parking area just south of Griffith Lake is still damaged and not usable.
GreenTurtle
10-21-2013, 04:45
I finished my LT thru-hike last month and there was still a detour from hurricane damage in place between the Governor Clement Shelter and Clarendon Shelter. Some southbounders who followed the trail instead of the reroute said that crossing the creek where the footbridge washed out wasn't that big of deal although the trail was "confusing," but they got through it. So I went ahead and ignored the detour as well and had no trouble making it through. I don't know what the creeks look like in the spring, but they're certainly passable in the late summer and early fall without any trouble. I made it across without even getting my feet wet. (I was fully expecting to ford the river.)
It looks like some of the trail has been rerouted recently and isn't complete yet. A large section of it didn't even appear to be blazed yet, although it was marked with orange tape tied to trees along the route. I suspect that was the "confusing" part for the southbounders I met, but I didn't have any trouble following it. Just know that the blazes will disappear for a bit, but keep on the main trail and you'll be fine. =)
-- Ryan