| 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: |
Thursday, December 27, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lower lot of Ethan Pond was not recently plowed but AWD got us in and out. Short walk up the road to the summer trailhead. The depot was recently plowed. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Not a major issue but snow is obscuring good footing so snowshoes may get wet as you cross. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Still some blowdowns south of Willey - cleared a couple of them. Fantastic work done by Mark, Bryan and Tim on the mess between Willey and Field. Looks great - Thanks! Still a nasty blowdown remains right where the trail takes a sharp turn making navigating this section a bit tricky. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Despite tough conditions, Kali still had a ball. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Heather lost a snow basket between Willey and Field - prob gone til spring... |
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 | Comments: |
Leaving better judgement at home, we decided to hike in the storm and tackle a Willey range traverse. Snowshoes of course - car to car. Should have done an out n back from the highland center but did manage (with great effort) to fight up the steep south side of Willey. Ladders were all buried. Steep climb of Willey in combination with long stretches of 3ft+ deep drifts made it one of the tougher winter hikes we've done.
Winds on Willey and Field were in the 30-40mph range so expect more drifting. Unfortunately most of our work trail breaking will be gone by morning. Hopefully we firmed up the footbed enough to prevent sinking in too deep. Had a blast descending/skiing down the steeps of the A-Z trail. Saw one set of tracks coming up from the highland center - they turned around about a half mile below the Tom spur. But a broken trail after a tough day in deep snow was a sight for sore eyes for the final stretch to the highland center. Thanks to Heather and Kali for great company that made this tough day worthwhile. |
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 | Name: |
Jeff & Karine |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-12-27 |
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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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