MATLT holds a conservation easement over the summit of Mount Abraham, which you can read more about in this StoryMap. We recently headed up the backside of the mountain with Matt Kusper of High Peaks Alliance to check out the route of a proposed new trail to the summit and for our annual required easement monitoring trip to comply with Land Trust Alliance accreditation standards. As many of you are aware, the rainstorms of the past few years have resulted in significant damage to much of the infrastructure that allows us recreational access to many of the lands in the A.T. region (the lands themselves are just fine). Roads have washed out, bridges have been destroyed, trails have been impacted, and solutions to all the problems are difficult to find. The main trail to the summit of Abraham, the Fire Warden’s Trail, is currently in extremely poor condition and there is the potential for a new route to be created.

It was a cloudy day with rain threatening (which prevented use of a drone), but it was a good opportunity to explore the backside route and quickly get into the alpine zone. Thanks to Matt for guiding! We’ll keep you all posted on the status of the trails.