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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Starr King, Mt. Waumbek, NH
Trails
Trails: Starr King Road, Starr King Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, February 10, 2013
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: The good sized winter parking area off Rt. 2 had roughly 2" of new snow since it's last plowing. It took me several attempts to get out of it because it is uphill to Rt. 2 and the snow was enough I needed momentum, and every time I took a run cars appeared in the near lane, so I'd back done and try it again. I had to turn off the VSC as well. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: None 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: One step over up on the ridge. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Pretty good day for Pepper. I carried him across Rt. 2 to keep the salt off his paws. There were a few spots on the trail where there was some semi slush after the snowshoes went over it, which could get a paw damp and perhaps increase icing; I kept Pepper away from them on the way up, not the way down. It was easy to Starr-King for Pepper on a well packed trail, but we broke trail between the peaks so he got a bit of a workout there. I spent a lot of time applying Vaseline to his paws at the car, getting between his toes, and that made it easy to brush off the ice later. The dry snow didn't snowball on his legs much. There was one small drainage where he could get water, down low, but he didn't bother. 
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: There was maybe 5" of new snow at the trailhead, not enough to completely shield the snowshoe crampons from rocks, but they were easy to avoid. An AMC group had done a good job of packing the trail all the way to Starr-King. We broke trail over to Waumbek, in snow that ranged from 5" or so to over 1' due to drifts. It was pretty easy for me in MSRs; Pepper did fine but had to work harder so I tried to link my snowshoe prints for him. The snowshoe out was a blast on a well tracked but still cushiony foot bed. Everyone out today was in snowshoes, which were needed for both flotation and traction in the powdery snow. Bare boots would have not only chewed up the trail up to Starr-King and postholed beyond it, but they would have required a lot more work in the unconsolidated snow, even after tracking. It was a bit chilly just below Starr-King due to the shade and a breeze, and quite warm at the view just past Waumbek in the sun and still air. We met two nice groups on the trails enjoying the beautiful winter day. Waumbek may be at its eerie best in fog and or in steady snow, at least up on the ridge, but today it's gentle grades mixed with the new snow and sun to make it a great snowshoe. The extra snow forecast for Monday should be good down low to cover the occasional rocks that are at or near the surface.  
Name
Name: Pepper and Me 
E-Mail
E-Mail: windriversjohn at gmail dot com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2013-02-10 
Link
Link: https:// 
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