| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Passaconaway, Mt. Whiteface, East Sleeper, West Sleeper, South Tripyramid, Middle Tripyramid, North Tripyramid, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Oliverian Brook Trail, Passaconaway Cut-Off, Walden Trail, Rollins Trail, Kate Sleeper Trail, Mt. Tripyramid Trail, Pine Bend Brook Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, November 4, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
A couple of cars parked alongside the road across from Pine Bend Brook trailhead - but plenty of space.
7-8 cars at the Oliverian trailhead - but again plenty of space. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All easy |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Oliverian: A good handful of new blowdowns but all on the ground. No problem.
Passaconaway Cut-Off: Only minor stuff.
Walden: Several blowdowns on the eastern section leading up to the summit. But these have already been dealt with and are not a problem.
Rollins: As expected from other reports we had obtained there is a significant section of blowdowns over several hundred yards about 15-20 minutes down from Whiteface summit. Crawling under, climbing under and walking around is necessary to deal with this section.
Kate Sleeper: This is the worst. Not much between the junctions to Rollins and Downes Brook trails but from the Downes Brook junction to East Sleeper Spur (a little short of a mile) it is COMPLETELY covered with blowdowns. We crawled under some - literally on our stomachs. Climbed over others and bushwacked around as much as we could. Very difficult and potentially dangerous. A section which might have taken us 20 minutes took 5 times as long. We persevered but would not have done this trail if we had known the conditions. Potentially, this trail should be closed.
Mt. Tripyramid: A good handful of blowdowns - some have already been cut and it is fairly easy to deal with.
Pine Bend Brook: Again a good handful - but not too difficult. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Mostly plenty of water - but nothing between Downes Brook junction and the first crossing of Pine Bend Brook.
Most dogs can probably handle the blowdown section on the Rollins trail. But the blowdown section on Kate Sleeper will be impossible for most dogs. Cinnilla pushed through - it was as stellar performance (and how she got through some of it I'll never know) but in honesty we should not have been there. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A challenging hike because of the blowdown section on Kate Sleeper. Georg, Cinnilla and I really had the work cut out for us.
After a short break at the junction with the Downes Brook trail we ran into the first blowdowns. Georg got his saw out and started working. However, it did not take long before we realized how bad it was and that attempts to cut some of it would be pretty futile. We should have turned around but ended up getting too far into the mess before we realized that this would have been the best option.
Small sections of ice near the peaks - but not significant. The descent from North Tripyramid was quite slippery. This was by far the worst section with respect to traction on the entire hike.
We met other hikers who had come up the Downes Brook trail and they did not report significant problems. It seems that it is possible to come up this trail and turn south-east towards Whiteface - and not encounter any difficulties. |
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 | Name: |
LongMark |
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 | E-Mail: |
perfrost@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-11-04 |
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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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