Larry Gomes, White Mountain Ridge Runners
I had decided to take my ATV instead of a sled due to the amount of sign related stuff I needed to bring with me. I loaded up the ATV with 2 milk crates of signs, a dozen stakes, sledge hammer, bar, rechargeable drill and chain saw and headed out. The lower elevations trails were scratchy in spots, but where the sleds had gone, their skegs were only breaking thru here and there. Once away from the parking lot, coverage improved quickly.
My first mission was opening up a WMNF gate on Cor. 11 south. Once I left the Jericho Park trails, there were no tracks ahead of me and my ATV (only a 400cc) struggled through about 8" of snow. I opened the gate and then proceeded to install some "Gate Ahead" signs. That was my first surprise. Practically no frost in the ground so I was able to pound the stakes in without the using the metal bar.
On may way back, I noticed some of the ruts I had made had filled with water so there is still water running under the snow on the WMNF trails. In Jericho Mt. Park, all of the trails are ditched and use culverts (not waterbars) for drainage so those trails are dry.
I backtracked on Cor. 11 north to Cor. 19 south and then headed west on PT118, with my destination the junction of PT118 and Cor. 11. Then I spotted a pickup truck coming down the trail. How they got into the park, I have no idea (since the park gates are closed), but they must have come in from from the Gorham side because there were no car tracks on the Berlin side.
As I climbed in elevation the snow got deeper and I was beginning to wonder if my little ATV was going to make it. The snow got to be about 10" deep and then leveled off at the height of the land. As I approached the WMNF gate the only tracks I saw were from moose and deer. Opened the gate and headed into the WMNF and noticed that all the waterbars were still running. Again when I put up signs, the ground was not frozen.
Here are some thoughts on the current conditions:
1) There is enough snow to get out and take a ride. The only area that should be avoided is a section of Cor. 19 that was plowed by the loggers, just south of the WMRR clubhouse. (If you unload at the Jericho Parking Lot, you will not run into this section of trail).
2) You need to take it easy, since the powdery snow has drifted over hazards such as fallen trees, rocks and waterbars, but it may not provide enough cushion to prevent damage to your sled if you are flying along.
3) We need a lot more cold weather before things will tighten up. I am particularly concerned about the normally wet bog areas. I am glad I did not run across any boggy areas, because I certainly would have been stuck. If you know of a boggy area, I would avoid it for now.
4) The WMRR club is going to start packing trails at the end of the week. But unless we get some more snow, I would not recommend riding on "woods" trails that are normally rough (ie: like the powerline trail). The 40 miles or so of trails in Jericho Park should be OK for riding this week since they have all been cleared of large rocks and drainage is really good. But be careful if you venture outside of the park.
Bottom line: Its a good start, but lots more cold and another good snowstorm is needed before our trail system will be able to be groomed.