| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Lookout Ledge, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bee Line, road walk, Easy Way, Pasture Path, Grassy Lane, Boothman Trail, Crescent Ridge Trail, Four Soldiers Path, Notchway, Ledge Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, November 28, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at Appalachia. We started rather late in the am and there were only 5 cars there. They were still there when we got back. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
They were open, with snowcaps, and I carefully stepped across them to protect my snowshoes. Pepper jumped or rock hopped most, but unfortunately walked through a few as snow covered rocks and branches didn't look good to him. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
1 or 2 small blowdowns, I forget where, but they weren't a significant problem. When we got to the end of Bee Line I had no idea of where to go. Just up from it is an intersection and from the map it looked like I should turn right on to Glover Spring but being unsure I continued up High Acres and thence to Randolph until I got to Easy Way. Pasture Path does empty out onto Glover Spring (no sign) and then after a road walk past its intersection with High Acres Pasture Path goes back into the woods at a sign. The sign at Boothman says the trailhead has been moved to the new parking area but hikers are welcome, so we went up to Cook. Going down Notchway where it crossed an old road I wasn't sure whether to turn left or right. I went left a bit, it didn't seem right :-), so I went right and eventually found an old paint blaze so it was right. Going down Ledge as it neared a house I missed a sharp right taking it between two houses, but found paint blazes to follow after turning back from the house yard. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
For a larger dog, especially one that has short fur, the trails would have been ideal. For Pepper, he was often chest deep in new snow that easily formed many snowballs. His sweater drooped from the weight and eventually it caught a lot of snow between it and his chest, so I took it off him. I had treated his paws with Vaseline so they didn't ice up. He used the packed trail sections to remove some of the snowballs. Otherwise he just pushed or jumped through; he is trail tough physically and mentally. There is open water; to avoid wet paws and consequent icing, one may want to keep their dog behind them and direct them at the crossings. I goofed up today at the numerous crossings on Pasture Path on its western section. |
|
 | Bugs: |
None |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
The Presi peaks were in the clouds and flurries all day as far as I could see. We had some spot sun early, and flurries later. It was a delightful and easy snowshoe most of the time for me; it was a good workout for Pepper. A few of the trails were broken out, and we ran into a few people including a nice group in snowshoes just leaving Lookout Ledge. We saw a couple barebooters as well. These trails aren't necessarily good indicators for the standard 4K trails but my take is that the first few up should bring both spikes and snowshoes, and expect either to be less than optimal at times. November. Thanks Pepper for a fun day away from work. |
|
 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
|
 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-11-28 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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