Everyone is asking what the rain did to the trails. Well it set us up for some of the easiest and most accessible boondocking of the season. How often can one say there's almost 4 feet of snow on the ground and it could be difficult to get stuck, even with a short track sled?
I rode from East Millinocket to Bowlin/Shin Pond today. Off track, the rain settled the snowpack, firmed it up, and put a 1/8" crust on it, that for the most part, you break through. The less traveled the back logging roads are, the better, as you don't have to deal with other cold hardened sled tracks. With boondocking this good and this effortless, exploring will be on my agenda for the next couple days.
Now as far as groomed trails are concerned, the rain made the trails very hard, but with a 1 inch layer of loose snow for lubrication. The traffic just makes the trails a little choppy by the end of the day.
That rain was the best thing that could of happened to the Katahdin area. Super firm trails that stand up well to the traffic, and well settled back logging roads - a boondocker's delight.
Everyone have a great weekend, whether on the trail or off.