| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Cannon Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Hi-Cannon Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Lonesome Lake Trail, Around-Lonesome-Lake Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 24, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Lafayette Place. As is normal in winter, the lot by the Lonesome Lake Trailhead is closed, but there was room at 8AM at the other lot. Road was double-parked most of the way in in the early afternoon. Alternatively, one could park at the Northbound lot and use the underpass. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The few that we came across were sufficiently snow-bridge for now. We also hiked across the middle of Lonesome Lake, which for now is still quite thick. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Hi-Cannon has a number of scattered blowdowns that will need work, all a little big for my small handsaw but a larger one should handle them fine. The other trails were fine. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one heading up Lonesome Lake Trail towards the lake, seemed to be doing OK. Some steep and slippery spots on Hi-Cannon with no-fall zones, and Kinsman Ridge Trail from Hi-Cannon down to Coppermine Col is steep too. Depending on the dog, it may not be an issue. Trail to the lake should be a great dog hike. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Broke trail up Hi-Cannon following an old snowshoe trench and some bare boot prints from the day before. 4-6" of loose snow until the upper reaches, where it was 10-12" of unpacked snow, with deeper drifts in a few spots. Ladder was buried, but we partially cleared the steps as we ascended for better footing. The cross-over above the ladder was a little tricky with the deep snow drifts, we managed with use of a well-placed tree. A couple other spots above the ladder where a slip would have gone for a ride.
Kinsman Ridge Trail to the summit was broken but not packed, easy trip to the summit, and a climb to the tower in snowshoes, where we saw the wonderful views-of the inside of a cloud. Windy up top too, this was really the only time we felt the wind all day.
Kinsman Ridge Trail from Hi-Cannon down to Lonesome Lake Trail was broken as well, some awesome butt-sledding down the steeps here. One spot with an icy rock face had a couple beaten herd paths in the woods to avoid it, but otherwise the trail was in good shape.
Lonesome Lake Trail to the Around-Lonesome-Lake Trail was in good shape, easy traveling with some more butt-sledding in the steeps.
We broke out Around-Lonesome-Lake Trail to the hut, but it will likely drift back in again.
A short stay at the hut, then we crossed Lonesome Lake on a well-beaten path (ice is still plenty thick right now) and then descended the super-highway that is the Lonesome Lake Trail.
There were traces of an old snowshoe trench heading towards the Cannon Balls from Coppermine Col, but it may not have been touched since the snowstorm early last week.
Snowshoes are necessary for this whole trip except for the Lonesome Lake Trail between Lafayette Place and the hut. We saw a number of people come up behind us on Hi-Cannon Trail and some also came up from the hut side, most people were in microspikes and making a mess of the trails. For the moment, the trails are loosely-packed snow, and are recoverable from the postholes, but a thaw-freeze will put an end to this.
Cloud deck was lifting as we left the lake, and the sun was peeking out here and there. Figures.
Congrats to HossInNH on NH4K #40! |
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 | Name: |
madmattd |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-03-24 |
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 | Link: |
 https://mattshikes.blogspot.com |
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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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