Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Willey, Mt. Field, Mt. Tom, NH |
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| Trails: |
Ethan Pond Trail, Willey Range Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Avalon Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 16, 2012 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at the train station as well as the Ethan Pond trail head. The short road up to the Ethan Pond trailhead was extremely icy and slippery. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
Only crossing of note was the lower crossing of the Crawford Brook. It appeared that the ice had been firmer earlier in the day and the were tracks across the frozen ice. By the time we got there the ice was soft and I got both boots underwater. WIth gators and being close to the end, it was fine |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Lots of big blowdowns on WIlley Ridge and great work done to clear many of them. Still plenty of stepovers but none a problem. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw two dogs. Enough trail water on AZ and Avalon. Very little elsewhere. |
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| Bugs: |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
Yesterday visibility was 130 miles. At times today it was more like 130 feet. A light dusting of snow made the ubiquitous trail ice even more treacherous. We decided to go up Ethan Pond. The ice on the steep sections is dicey. Microspikes were barely ok. I had Hillshounds spikes which worked better. In any case great care was necessary. The ice was managable from the summit of Willey onward. After the summit of Field there was a long ice flow that was quite pretty. Time for some snow on the trails. Congrats to BarbaraR for a gritty day especially on the ascent of Willey. |
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| Name: |
jeb bradley |
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| E-Mail: |
jebebrad@metrocast.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-12-16 |
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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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