8/19/22
White Mountains Guide Day Thirty-One

Today was about as “classic red lining” as you could get. I hiked Albany Mountain trail (a 2 hour and 40 minute drive one way from my house) and also did Albany Brook Trail. Albany Mountain trail is a perfect example of what a maintained trail versus non-maintained trail looks like. The first 1.5 miles were in pristine condition. There were stone water bars, a wide corridor, stone steps, and beautiful grading. Conversely, the 2.9 miles that lead down the backside of the mountain at the junction with Albany Mountain Spur were heavily overgrown, had a lot of muddy patches, and were clearly not maintained. I spent the majority of the day thinking about how sad it is that so many of our trails are being neglected because of a lack of funding, volunteers, and controversial policies by the powers that be in the local Forest Service. The White Mountains has over 1,400 miles of trails (not including a lot of the Cohos Trail) and I’m not sure what’s going to happen to a lot of it once the older generation (aka the ones who tend to be the volunteers) drops off the radar. I hate seeing trails left in disarray. I hate that Landing Camp Trail is being abandoned because it would be a beautiful trail. I hate seeing how overused trails like Valley Way, Crawford Path, and Franconia Loop are and I hate that I can’t “save” them all.

Daily Miles: 11.86
Daily Vert: 2847’
Overall Miles: 314.96
Overall Vert: 106,959’
Guide: 12.5% -> 12.9% 

Trails: 

Albany Mountain Trail
Albany Brook Trail
Albany Summit Spur