| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Liberty, Mt. Flume, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bike Path, bushwhack, Liberty Spring Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Flume Slide Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, February 13, 2010 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Basin parking lot is clear of ice and snow. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction, Ice Axe |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Several open water crossings on Flume Slide Trail but rock hoppable. Some thin ice on the closed crossings. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Some large blowdowns on the lower section of the Flume Slide Trail that will take a lot of axe swings to remove. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Got a late start and tried to find the bushwhack off the bike path. If it wasn't for Rocket's photo of the small "boulder" I might have walked by, thanks! Snow conditions up Liberty Spring were nice, with any type of traction being ok, including none. I used microspikes the whole day but snowshoes would have been a little more enjoyable up on the ridge where the snow is a little more loose. Liberty summit has very thin icy granular and dry patches. As I headed up the final portion of Mt. Flume I was overtaken by "Farmer" from VFTT as he was wrapping up his Winter Pemi Loop...told me had been averaging 3.5mph since 8:30am. Considering it was only 4:15 I'd say he was moving scary fast. As opposed to doubling back to Liberty, I decided to take a look at the Flume Slide Trail. There has not been very much foot traffic the last few days, I could only find one set of tracks up high. This is good in that alot of the ice on the slide is covered with about 12 inches of snow, but also bad in that the trail is hard to follow in spots down low. I'd recommend an ice axe going up or down Flume Slide due to several icy sections between 3000-3500'ft...especially a frozen cascade at 3500'. The trail has enough snow on it that an experienced climber would most likely enjoy a nice climb. |
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 | Name: |
John Stevens |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2010-02-13 |
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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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