| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Mansfield (The Chin), VT |
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 | Trails: |
Eagle's Cut Trail, CCC Trail, Sunset Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, January 2, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The road was passable with no problems all the way to a gate less than 1/4 mile from the summer lot. This may be due to the low snow amounts at the lower elevations, as in the past there is a roughly 1.5-mile road walk to the summer trailhead. Tons of cars parked there and all along the road on our way out; we were the first ones up the mountain on this day. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a couple doing fine, there are a few icy scrambles but nothing a dog with winter experience on the NE 4000-footers should have trouble with. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
2-3" of snow down low, and maybe a foot up high. The trail was well-packed below treeline; while the depth was sufficient for snowshoes, they were not necessary. Along the upper mile, above treeline, there was a mix of ice, minimal snow cover, and bare rock. The stretch swinging around under the false summit was drifted in quite deep, from here to the summit snowshoes would have been helpful, but the distance was not great. We wore light traction and carried snowshoes until about 3/4-mile from the summit, where we stashed the snowshoes and switched to crampons to aid in traction for the handful of icy scrambles we encountered. Near treeline on the way down we switched back to light traction. Views were tremendous with easy visibility to the White Mountains, Adirondacks, and neighboring Green Mountain peaks. Mild temps and only ~15mph wind gusts meant we were able to enjoy the summit for a little while before heading down. Given our early start, we had the mountain to ourselves until halfway down the alpine ridge. There was evidence of a reasonable amount of traffic up the Laura Cowles Trail. A gorgeous day for this hike, and we saw at least 2 dozen people heading up during our descent. |
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 | Name: |
madmattd |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-01-04 |
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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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