|
|
Post by Philip on Nov 29, 2012 10:23:39 GMT -9
Thurs Nov 29 Pillar Mountain road is largely a sheet of smooth, bubble-free ice above the gravel pit. Some sections of ice are shoulder to shoulder. Be super careful walking up the road, or avoid the road altogether. Don't be a djpshjt and try to drive to the top. The vehicles I saw yesterday were having near-death experiences at the upper road cut. The trails up Pillar Mountain (Exboyfriend, the east ridge, etc) are in good shape with some punchy snow below the ridges, but relatively little ice. The top of the mountain has had a lot of snow blown away so walking up there is nice. Near Island trails are mostly in good shape with compacted snow in the open areas and very little snow under the trees in the forest. Some sections have significant ice, especially the main trail to the south end of the island from the parking area near Trident Basin. Still nice to hike on, but be prepared for a few scary sections. Ice cleats are recommended no matter what, and I always walk with trekking poles with carbide tips this time of year for added stability on ice. Be careful, and enjoy.  |
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Dec 7, 2012 11:47:21 GMT -9
Friday Dec 7
Near Island trails are doing great. For the most part the trails have a thin layer of packed new snow. I feared the old ice under fluffy new snow would make things even more slippery, but the new snow is sticking to the ice just enough to have actually improved conditions instead of making things worse. That said there is still definitely ice to contend with, so Icebugs or spikes are a must.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Dec 10, 2012 20:11:14 GMT -9
Monday Dec 10
The Near Is trails are totally clear of ice and basically dry when under the trees, but are lumpy, solid and continuous ice out in the open areas like meadows. The only areas without ice that are out in the open are at the very south end near salt water. Still good hiking with ice cleats and trekking poles. I would not attempt the trails without those tools though.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Dec 11, 2012 17:03:02 GMT -9
Pillar Mtn Rd is in great shape. They dragged a grader blade over it and mulched the ice surface into nice texturized packed snowy surface. The trails are also nice with almost no ice, but they get a little post-holey near the upper ridges. I saw new-ish bear tracks on some trails near the base of the mountain. The trails above the gravel pit did not show any bear signs.
|
|
|
|
Post by mrsquishy on Dec 16, 2012 12:14:23 GMT -9
Fort Abercrombie trails are dry and clear for the most part (except the boardwalk by the lake - it's icy); a good place to hike on a windy day like today.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Jan 2, 2013 17:52:22 GMT -9
The Near Island trails are 99% free of snow and ice. The couple of icy spots are pretty short, and can mostly be avoided as they are the center of the trail. The worst spot is walking south from the Kodiak Fishery Research Center driveway towards Rotary Park. There are some muddy bits on the south end. I'm trying to figure out if I'm happy to be back home walking in the rain in the dark.  |
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Jan 4, 2013 8:39:05 GMT -9
Twice this winter I have had problems with dogs off their leashes on Near Island.
The first time, a dog acted very aggressively towards me, barking and snapping at me until the owner arrived and was able to control it. I always walk with trekking poles and I was able to keep the dog at bay until the owner arrived. Without the poles, I suspect the dog may have acted even bolder.
Last evening I was bitten by a small dog on my calf while walking on the south end trails. It came towards me down the trail from the front, but ran past me and then approached me from behind, so I did not perceive it as a threat until it actually bit me. It did not puncture my skin, but it could have seriously injured a small child. Again, I used my trekking poles to fend off the dog until the owner arrived.
I think it's great that dog owners have a place to take their pets close to town, and 99% of my dog encounters on the trails are positive. But if people cannot be totally certain that their pets will not threaten, much less injure, other trail users and wildlife, then they absolutely must be controlled at all times.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Jan 8, 2013 19:07:00 GMT -9
Tuesday, Jan 8 Pillar Mtn Rd is a bit icy below the gravel pit, though the shoulders are just packed snow and nice to walk on. Above the gravel pit the road is packed snow that turns a little rutted higher up near the summit. Overall good walking with Icebugs. The trails like Ex-Boyfriend are in great shape with no ice and just a dusting of snow under the trees. Open areas are somewhat snowy depending on how down you are and how wind-affected the snow is. The last couple hundred feet below the ridge are a little more snowy and a short section of post-holing is needed to get up. Once on top of the ridge the snow is patchy and wind-blown. The breeze was doing a solid 60+ mph with eyeball-scouring crystals whipping around today. You know- 'situation normal.' |
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Jan 15, 2013 21:00:01 GMT -9
Tues, Jan 15
Pillar is a bit icy. The road below the gravel pit is ok, but above that it is wall-to-wall ice in a few sections. The trails are not too bad, with some sections of ice that can be avoided by stepping just off to the side. On the ridge and summit the snow is very crusty and firm and good for walking. I would NOT go up there without decent traction devices though.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Jan 23, 2013 18:42:10 GMT -9
No ice on any Near Island trail that I can find. A bit soft and muddy in some spots, but otherwise slip-free.
The Pillar trails like Exboyfriend and the East Ridge are icy in spots and have water running down them. The Pillar summit has lost a lot of snow.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Feb 6, 2013 17:43:32 GMT -9
Wed Feb 6
Walked up Pillar this evening. The trails are frozen hard and dry under the trees but have a fairly continuous bed of ice out in the open. Just off the trail it's ice free. The upper mountain has rock hard crusty snow and walking is good. The road is icy in two sections and otherwise you are on dry gravel.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Feb 25, 2013 18:50:27 GMT -9
Monday, Feb 25
Needless to say, the trails on Pillar are seriously snowy right now. But, I have hiked many of them as the snow fell, and so if you are willing to step into post hole tracks, a nice hike awaits you. Exboyfriend and some of the more obscure forest trails are great right now. It's a winter wonderland up there.
|
|
|
|
Post by simpterfex on Mar 18, 2013 15:10:17 GMT -9
Went for a bike ride up on the ridge St. Patricks Day. The 4 wheeler trail is fast and solid. The east side of the ridge is clear and quite rideable. The west side has a 4 inch crust of snow piled up and maybe good for you xc skiers. A few days before we tried to ride from the gravel pit around the fence and ended up trudging by most of the fenced area so watch out.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Apr 4, 2013 14:08:34 GMT -9
Thursday March 4
I hiked up Pillar last night. The road to the gravel pit was totally snow free. The trails around the road on the lower mountain were pretty snow and ice free other than in some salmonberry sections with no tree cover. Exboyfriend was in very good shape with significant foot traffic having packed down a path. Some open areas had deep snow with postholes to step in, but for the most part the hiking was good. I came down the east ridge (straight towards the gravel pit) and the top of that ridge was soft, deep snow. As soon as you get to the steep section heading down the snow has melted away and life is fine again, but the upper parts are punchy and a bit annoying. If I were to do it again I would take the road and not the east ridge trail.
|
|
|
|
Post by simpterfex on Apr 17, 2013 20:53:58 GMT -9
|
|
|
|
Post by simpterfex on Jul 24, 2013 12:48:24 GMT -9
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip on Nov 23, 2013 16:08:25 GMT -9
Saturday Nov 23. Pillar Mtn road above the gravel pit is pretty icy in a number of sections. The trails are currently in great shape with bare frozen ground in the trees and firm shallow snow in the open areas. If you stick to the singletrack you don't really need any traction devices right now. At the end of the last storm a rather large bear walked about half way up Ex-boyfriend and then cut down towards town. About a day later (late Friday or early Saturday), after it had cooled off and frozen, the bear continued up the trail to the summit and then went who-knows-where.  |
|
|
|
Post by brooks on Nov 25, 2013 22:04:12 GMT -9
I hit termination point yesterday and the trails are ice free.... no need for any ice cleats for running so far.
|
|
