Rebar or climbing latter locations

[kibs]

Hello AT'ers,

could someone give me the location, state, etc of those climbing latters or Rebar rungs within a general proximity? Also, if you happen to know the general height of those ladders?
Much appreciated!
kibs

[Slo-go'en]

Like these here on the south side of Goose Eye?
SAM_1713.JPG
Or these? I think this is near Mt Blue
SANY0062.JPG

There are a couple of other places, mostly in Maine, but I think NH has a couple here and there too.

[kibs]

Yes! those are the culprits. Can you please tell me Slo-go, where Goose eye is located?
BTW,many thanks for the info.

[map man]

There is a set of metal rebar footholds in New York at Bellvale Mountain within a couple miles of when someone headed northbound crosses from New Jersey into New York (it was an aluminum ladder up until the last few years when volunteers put in the rebar). Pictures I've seen of it seem to show a rock face that's around twenty feet high.

[peakbagger]

Working off of memory in my area

Moody Mtn in Western Maine has several rebar type hoop steps and one short ladder coming up the west side from Sawyer Notch. Some are superfluous.

East Baldpate In Western Maine heading east from the summit has a steel ladder down over a steep ledge (if I remember its 5 or 6 rungs).

Carlo Col just west of Mt Carlo in the Mahoosucs has a long set of steel hoops up a ledge.

The AT going up Katahdin has a few steel assist bars. They arent ladders as such but they are used for the hiker to pull themselves up and over large boulders.

There are "pin steps" used on steep ledges in three locations in the whites. These are wooden steps cut at an angle that set down over steel pins drilled into the rocks. They usually are on steep smooth ledges and are not necessarily flat or evenly spaced. If the ledges are dry they may not be needed but generally there is nothing to hold onto. The biggest series of them are going north from the summit of Moosilaukee on the Beaver Brook trail (the AT). There is another smaller set coming down off North Kinsman on the Fishing Jimmy trail (the AT), and another set on the Wildcat Ridge Trail (the AT) coming up out of Pinkham Notch. There are also some log ladders that are combination of ladders and stairs. The only one I can think off hand is just south of Zeacliff in the whites (about 2 miles north of Zealand Hut).

On the stretch of trail between Goose Eye and Fulling mill Mountain there are some odd wooden stairs and walkways. They are mostly to protect the underlying bog.

And of course hundreds of wooden puncheons in various conditions. They can be rotten and covered with moss or in much better shape

Realize there are many other places in the Mahoosucs and the whites where you would wish there were rungs or ladders. The decent off of North Carter in the whites, the ascent up Mt Kinsman, Mahoosuc Arm near the Me NH line and of course the boulder field on the Hunt Trail going up Mt Kahtadin.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Or this one, just North of Stony Brook shelter in Vermont? IMG_4965.JPG

[rmitchell]

North of Dragon's Tooth in Virginia.

[egilbe]

I’ve hiked those steel bars that peakbagger mentions in hurricanes and torrential downpours. The fear is greater than the actual ladders.

There is a set of rebar rungs going up a slab on Saddleback, too. They arent really needed, nothing like Mahoosuc arm, which really could use them, lol.

[George]

the technology and pricing are really in line to make installing these quick, easy and cheap - maybe 20 in material and an hour of labor per step

where you think they are not needed in summer can be a big difference, wet with snow or ice

[peakbagger]

Not as easy as you think. Drilling holes in granite is not quick cheap and easy when there is no power nearby. Yes there are gas powered drills but lugging them into the woods and up the side of a mountain is lot of work.

[Deacon]

Yes! those are the culprits. Can you please tell me Slo-go, where Goose eye is located?
BTW,many thanks for the info.

It’s at mile 1912, just south of Full Goose Shelter.


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[Leo L.]

While working mostly in limestone, we have done lots of such work in the past.
We've used an accu drill and carrying a second accu we could do 20-30 holes, which was enough for an easy day (including access and retreat).
Back then we used a special superfast cement which was quite some work to stir and apply. Nowadays everybody doing such work uses "plastic" compound glue applied by a gun, which works superfast and easy.

I always found the bigger part of the work to decide in detail which piece of iron to put where so it would finally make a nice stepway.
As the Alps are full of ironways like this, there are professional workers doing this, and they usually carry a gas powered generator and a standard electrical drill.

Suppose working in Granit will cut the amount of holes roughly into half, or doubles the time to do them respectively.

[Old Hillwalker]

In the old days they used star drill and hammer to drill the holes, and they carried blocks of sulfur which were melted and poured into the holes before inserting the iron bars. The sulfur lasted for years once it hardened. There was no epoxy or other quick setting materials yet. There are plenty of via ferrata in Europe that were built this way during WW I especially in Italy. I have examined some of the old sulfur set bars and they are still pretty solid. I learned about this as a young man when I would talk to a family friend, a former member of the 10th Light Division (Mountain) in WW II. He once mentioned that at times, part of his pack load was blocks of sulfur and large hammer and drill bits. I asked why, and he explained their use. It was so interesting to hear this as an adventurous boy that I never forgot the story.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_ferrata

[peakbagger]

I was curious once and decided to drill a hole with a new star drill and a masons hammer in a piece of granite. Using the best technique I could determine (pound, twist and then blow out the hole) it takes a long time to drill a hole in a piece of granite. I gave it an hour and got about an inch in. Quartz is a lot quicker and I expect slate would be real quick. Unfortunately the Whiteas and the Mahoosucs are pretty much solid granite.

Given the decline of volunteers willing and able to assist in keeping the AT open in Maine, I dont see a high priority in putting in new steps anytime soon although some of the rock work in the 100 mile wilderness is fairly recent and a sight to behold, hundreds of cut granite steps quarried from the local rock.

[JPritch]

Daniel Boone trail to Grandfather Mountain in NC has many ladder sections, some very long and steep! It's a great hike (not AT) if you want a great challenge, amazing scenery, and plenty of variety including rock scrambling, ladders, and ropes!

https://www.hikingupward.com/NCSP/Gr...inDanielBoone/

[linus72]

this is the one in NY

img_0134.jpeg

[Gambit McCrae]

There is a set of metal rebar footholds in New York at Bellvale Mountain within a couple miles of when someone headed northbound crosses from New Jersey into New York (it was an aluminum ladder up until the last few years when volunteers put in the rebar). Pictures I've seen of it seem to show a rock face that's around twenty feet high.

IMG_7306.JPGIMG_7307.JPGIMG_7308.JPG

[George]

Not as easy as you think. Drilling holes in granite is not quick cheap and easy when there is no power nearby. Yes there are gas powered drills but lugging them into the woods and up the side of a mountain is lot of work.

not what I think my man, what I know - cordless rotary hammer, good power and battery life at a reasonable weight is finally here - two part epoxy to set them - takes longer to clean the hole before epoxy than to drill it

[Dogwood]

not what I think my man, what I know - cordless rotary hammer, good power and battery life at a reasonable weight is finally here - two part epoxy to set them - takes longer to clean the hole before epoxy than to drill it

Using the right diamond tipped star bit and bentonite drilling fluid makes the process easier too. When anchoring into granite its sometimes easier to drill only part of the depth and then fill with bentonite rock breaker puddy which expands overnight breaking a surprisingly large granite boulder in half or cup in the granite. Then a rebar, anchor, etc can be held in with a quick drying outdoor expoxy. I've done this on large underground very hard granite ledges and large boulders to remove material where using a large machine or explosives was not an option to build steps, create planting pockets, anchor fence posts, create koi ponds, etc in landscape designs.

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[Dogwood]

Daniel Boone trail to Grandfather Mountain in NC has many ladder sections, some very long and steep! It's a great hike (not AT) if you want a great challenge, amazing scenery, and plenty of variety including rock scrambling, ladders, and ropes!

https://www.hikingupward.com/NCSP/Gr...inDanielBoone/

Indeed. Very adventurous engaging non turn your mind off obstacle course like trail construction, routing, and hiking.

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