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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Lafayette, NH
Trails
Trails: Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Friday, November 28, 2014
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: The lots at Whitehouse Trail and Old Bridle Path were both plowed.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: There were no crossings.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: There were no issues.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Didn't see any dogs.  
Bugs
Bugs: There weren't any bugs.  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Nothing lost/found.  
 
Comments
Comments: Did this one with Monica and the Random Group of Hikers. The original plan was to do a full Franconia Ridge Traverse but all we managed to get was Lafayette. The troubles started before we even met at the trailhead - several people encountered difficult driving conditions in Southern NH and turned back and went home. The roads cleared up after the Tilton exit and the rest made it through without incident. We left a few cars at the Whitehouse Trailhead and headed north to the Old Bridle Path Trailhead.

Everyone started in snowshoes but as we worked our way up the trail some switched to spikes. There wasn't enough snow at the lower elevations to fill in all of the trail and some of the rocks were stiil exposed making it difficult to wear snowshoes. I kept mine on all the way to the summit of Lafayette - they gave me just as much traction as spikes would have and I didn't have any problems navigating.

There were several people up ahead of us so the trail was already packed down. Once we broke treeline however all semblance of a packed out trail was blown away by the winds. The trail was easy to follow with the cairns very visible as were some of the rock retaining walls along the edge of the trail.

We started down Lafayette towards Lincoln but the winds picked up and the visibility lessened so instead of pushing on we decided to climb back up over Lafayette and head back down from where we came. We didn't get the peaks we were after. It we did get some early season practice with snowshoes, crampons, and all of the requisite cold weather clothing.  
Name
Name: Michael & Monica 
E-Mail
E-Mail: michaelfblair@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2014-11-28 
Link
Link: https://www.meetup.com/random-hikers/events/217238622 
Bookmark and Share 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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