[at-l] What I hope to be my last post on the 1st Thru (long)

[Bob C." <ellen@clinic.net (Bob C.)]

"...  How  often is it true that there is snow on most the AT (in Maine) in June
that is drifted and requires breaking trail?" someone asks.

The answer is never.

It's fairly common -- maybe, once every decade or so -- to find periodic patches
of deep wet snow, through early June, on shaded north slopes, where the snow had
drifted  and  built  up  during  winter  storms.  But  these patches of snow are
commonly restricted to a few hundred yards each.

I  once  ran  into a minor snow storm on the slopes of Katahdin on June 11, that
covered the headwall and summit ledges above Chimney POnd with several inches of
wet snow, but it lasted but 24 hours.

 This  year  there was heavy, wet snow remaining on some of the higher slopes of
Whitecap  through  late May, but most of it had disappeared by the first week of
June.

One  of  the joys of spring hiking in Maine is the likelihood of finding a patch
of  hidden  snow  for  quickly cooling a warm beer. But snow storms and drifting
snow are rare indeed in my experience.

 Weary