Outdoor Diversion: Spring Snow on Wildcat A

One year ago on April 2, 2017 I hiked to Wildcat D the day after a snowstorm brought 18" to the high summits. It was an easy hike up the groomed ski trails. Arriving at the summit I found the Wildcat Ridge Trail to be unbroken so I would not be going any further. After not hiking this past weekend I decided to hike up to Wildcat A (4,422') to complete the Wildcats for April.

The weather was looking somewhat optimistic as the rain was supposed to hold off until late in the day. I would be taking the usual route up the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail and then the steep 0.7 mile ascent on the Wildcat Ridge Trail to the summit.

On my drive to the trailhead I could see the summits were in the clear against the back drop of a gray high cloud cover. I arrived at the trailhead parking lot and there were only two others cars there. I wasn't sure what the trail conditions would be so I would be taking the snowshoes and the microspikes. I started out barebooting and soon put on the microspikes just for some traction on the slippery sections.

The trail was firm, the air was cool and the sun started to break through the clouds. It was a very pleasant walk through the woods along the Nineteen Mile Brook. As I moved up the trail the clouds cleared and it was full sunshine. After watching the weather this morning I was not expecting to see the sun today. It was a pleasant surprise but I was hoping it would not soften the trail too much as it got warmer. The amount of snow on the Nineteen Mile Brook was incredible. Even though the water flow was open the snow on the rocks ranged from two to five feet in depth, it was amazing to see that much snow in April!

When I arrived at the Wildcat Ridge Trail there were two hikers coming down. That was the only hikers I would see for my entire hike. I started the steep climb to the summit. The trail was still firm but somewhat soft where the sun was hitting it. This did not present a problem and I never did posthole. I stepped out onto the viewpoint at the summit to warm sunshine and no wind.

High, thin clouds were starting to move in but that didn't affect the sunshine. It was a nice day for basking on the summit. I took some photos and ate lunch while I had the summit to myself. I didn't want to stay too long because I knew the warm temps and sunshine were softening the snow and it could make the trail very slippery on the way down the steep section.

I began my descent and found that the snow had not softened enough to make it difficult. Snow in the shade was still solid. As I was crossing one of the slides I noticed two very large snowballs beside the trail. They had rolled down from the upper part of the slide and left a deep gully. I found it interesting that they had stopped just before the trail. I got back to the trail junction and continued down the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail. It was an enjoyable hike back to the parking lot.

This was another hike that turned out to be better than expected both the weather and trail conditions. The snowshoes got a free ride but it's always good to have them along this time of year. I was surprised to see only two hikers on this very popular trail on such a good day even though it was a weekday.

I think I may have gotten spoiled on this hike with the favorable conditions today. I foresee some tough hiking the rest of this month as the considerable snow depth melts down and turns the trails soft with maybe some icy conditions as well as water crossings becoming high. There will probably be some challenging hikes in the coming weeks!

Enjoy the photos from this hike!