| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Liberty, Mt. Flume, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bike path, herd path, Liberty Spring Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, March 29, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Basin lot plowed. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Snow bridges are gone but plenty of above water line rocks to hop across. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
n/a |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Fine for dogs |
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 | Bugs: |
n/a |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
n/a |
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|
 | Comments: |
First, I would, like to thank whoever walked between Mount Liberty, and Mount Flume in boots since our last snowstorm, synchronizing their return steps in order to create knee-high to thigh high post holes. Excellent job! Two thumbs up! (sarcasm)
Liberty Springs Trail is basically a mess from the parking lot to the ridge. The bike path was slushy snow. The herd path was a mix of soft, slushy snow and running water. That continued on and off until just after the second major water crossing, so the first 1.4 miles of the trail. After that the snow becomes more consistent but was choppy and ankle twisting all the way to the ridge this morning. It is a little bit better close to the ridge up to Liberty summit, but not by much.
The section of the ridge between Liberty and Flume had not seen snowshoes since our last storm of 2+ feet of snow and consisted only of the afore-mentioned most excellent post holes. Although the surface of the snow was not completely frozen, I alone (100# including my pack) in a single pair of snowshoes, was not able to undo the damage. It is still carnage between those two peaks. The only thing I did was reduce the postholes to shin height or knee height instead of knee height to thigh height. That section of trail will need 4 to 6 adult size humans with snowshoes to go out and back to smooth it down, providing the surface was pliable as it was today.
For the love of God, even though the calendar indicates that it is spring, it is not spring on the New Hampshire 4000 footers. It is still full on winter at elevation.
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 | Name: |
thegingerhiker |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-03-29 |
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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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