Shelburne Moriah Mountain

Trail: Rattle River Trail, Kenduskeag Trail

Conditions: Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts

“If you are going to Shelburne Moriah and it has snowed since this review, plan for a full day slog through snow. Even with one person ahead of me that day, the steepest parts of rattle river trail were extremely tough with the loose broken snow. The majority of the traffic seems to stop at the shelter for winter camping, and very little goes further to pack out the trail. Kenduskeag trail is very tight without blazes and there are a number of ups and downs that collect a lot of deep drifted snow and overhanging snow in branches. I ran out of time and had to turn back before the summit not expecting how slow the pace would be.”

Trail: Rattle River Trail, Kenduskeag Trail

Conditions: Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts

“I didn't see a single person all day and tracks stopped at the first Rattle Rover crossing, so Buttercup and I broke our way to the summit as best we could. The snow before the elevation gain started in earnest could be bare booted. After the shelter I tried my snowshoes and found that the trail was so bony under a few inches, that it was more hazard than it was a help. It was in that awkward state of being enough snow to conceal hazards but not enough to help buffer them. The snow was all a light, unconsolidated powder, only varying in depth throughout the hike. Once the elevation started, the snow depth increased and snowshoes helped. Roughly .2mi before the Kenduskeag Trail, snowshoes became a necessity. Most of the depth on Kenduskeag was calf-to-knee deep and very loose, with many deeper surprise drifts and small spruce traps. Kenduskeag Trail is often narrow with the trees full of snow today. The boardwalks were covered enough to be invisible but dangerous. There were a small number of short icy scramble sections that were doable. This hike was no joke- I found it far more challenging than many winter 4Ks I have done.”

Trail: Rattle River Trail, Kenduskeag Trail

Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery

“Underestimated the length of the trail. First 2 miles until the shelter are pretty flat. Water crossings were easy. Steep continuous up for the remaining offirst 4.5 miles. Bogs were cool to walk on. Fun couple of scrambles toward the top. Gorgeous sunny day so you can see for miles in all directions. Started at 715 am. Ended at 315pm so we made pretty good time. 11 miles I believe total.”