Starting NPT in a month, anything to worry about?

[All Downhill From Here]

hi guys, anyone been on any parts of it, especially the wet, vlei-ridden southern parts? Any flooded trail, bridges out, etc?

[billconner]

There is a Facebook group with frequent updates. I don't really like Facebook but do check in on NPT and Cranberry 50 groups.

[All Downhill From Here]

Rats, I dont have a Facebook account.

[billconner]

I'm sympathetic to that. May be worth setting one up just for NPT.

[DuctTape]

Extremely wet through the West Canadas, especially right after a rain. The ground cannot absorb any more water, so a recent rain will make the trail a stream.

[DSettahr]

Yeah, everything is wet and muddy right now. The West Canadas is usually muddy in a typical season, and while I haven't been there myself this year, I've heard reports that it's especially wet and muddy there this year... and I wouldn't doubt the veracity of those reports.

That being said, a month is a long time... it's possible that things could dry out a bit by then. It really all depends on what sort of whether the next few weeks bring.

With that being said, though, might not be a bad idea to at least start thinking about alternative destinations.

[All Downhill From Here]

Are we talking Tawahus tract-level 10' wide mud ponds, or back-of-Colden-after-a-storm submerged bog bridges, or a mix?

[VermontDacker]

We hiked to Spruce Lake and back last weekend, and the wetness was not bad at all. Well, not by Adirondack standards. I was expecting it to be much worse than it turned out to be.

[All Downhill From Here]

Just read on Reddit - "The mud pots were biblical this year. Many points not sure my trail runner would come out with my foot. The standing water in West Canada Wilderness was not funny."

Might cut that section off via Perkins Clearing and come in at Cedar Lakes. Is the really wet section the West/Mud/South Lake area?

[DSettahr]

My experience in the past has been that there can also be wet spots along the non-NPT portions of the French Louie Loop. I would not necessarily expect to avoid the worst of the wet spots entirely by skipping that stretch (plus also you'd be skipping some of the more scenic backcountry lakes/ponds along the NPT as well).

[All Downhill From Here]

It's the ADK, there will be mud. But knee deep mud is not fun to walk in, and its just trashing an already trashed trail even more.