Mount Shaw

Trail: Mt. Roberts Trail, High Ridge Trail, Faraway Mountain Trail, Turtleback Mountain Trail, Bald Knob Trail

Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush, Snow/Ice - Small Patches

“Definitely saw it all today over this almost 18 mile trek. Conditions were terrible and slow going. I bare booted up to Robert’s and that’s where the fun started. I put on my snowshoes (Dion’s worked perfect here) & broke trail for about 10 miles over to Faraway, up to Shaw where I changed into spikes, but then I needed them for Turtleback as well. Yay spring! Someone ahead of me post holed the entire 9 miles that I broke trail to Shaw. I have so many questions. Coming out was very muddy, entire sections of where the trail is a road is collapsing, many breaking ice, bridges, very slippery mud. Lots of water on trail at lower elevations. Still lots of snow up high, some drifts as high as 4 or 5 feet still on the High Ridge Trail. Still somehow one of the best days ever! I got to meet cookies on top and I’ve been reading her trail reports for a while, and it was great to know where the name came from. Your dog is such a sweetie! Hope to see you out there again!”

Trail: Mt. Flagg Trail, Gorilla Trail

Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts

“Two of us snowshoe tracked the fresh 4-6" of powder in the week-old trench up to both peaks of Flagg (thanks to the previous snowshoer for that trench), then broke a fresh trail in a couple feet of snow as far as a little way past the small knob on the Gorilla Trail. Drifts were higher in places. The afternoon sun melted the snow after we tracked it and then re-froze it so it's a bit of a crunchy mess in places; shaded areas stayed powdery and soft. WE stopped halfway to Shaw on the Gorilla Trail because of the time and we couldn't find the trail any more. You'll see our tracks in a couple different directions. The woods full of pillowy snow were lovely in the sunshine and under the blue blue sky.”

Trail: Cold Spring Road, Cold Spring Trail, Faraway Mountain Connector, Faraway Mountain Trail, Oak Ridge Cutoff, High Ridge Trail

Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Spring Snow

“Enough snow to make smooth trails. Previous hikers had packed the trail. Snowmobiles did a nice job compressing snow up at high trails. Bare booted the entire trip. Enough snow for good traction, ice only down low on the road. Saw no other hikers today although lots of cars in the lot when we finished. This was a great winter day in the high 30s, low 40ss and light wind only at the summit. A++ day for a winter hike. Trail conditions allowed us to crank and complete in about 4.5 hours including a lunch stop at the outlook.”