| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Garfield, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Gale River Road, Garfield Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, December 28, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Gale River Road closed. Plenty of parking today in the plowed lot at the eastern end of Gale River Loop Rd. Only one other car at 8am that had been there over night. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I bypassed the crossing of Thompson Brook by using the snowmobile trail bridge. A portion of the ice bridge had collapsed but what remained looked to be 2 inches thick. Spruce Brook was easily crossed. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few larger sized step overs but nothing that required one to leave the trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Since we were first up the trail today Marlie took the lead. Easy trail for dogs with still a few open water spots. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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|
 | Comments: |
I was surprised to get a late (8:15am) start and still be first up the trail. There was a dusting to an inch of new snow to start turning into almost 6 inches of loose snow on a firm base. The wind was faint until the last 50 yards to the summit, then 25-30 mph. We took only a few pics as the summit was socked in and didn't linger long enough to bother putting on a shell. Once off the ledges the wind was not a factor. Descending, the snow was much more packed and lots of ice underneath was becoming exposed. I wore microspikes the whole way but would have benefited from something with longer teeth for the descent. On both the way up and down I had some annoying snowballing at lower elevation. Snowshoes could be used for the last mile to the summit but I wouldn't want to carry them for the other 10 just yet.
12.2 miles 3250' elev+ 5 hr 40 min |
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 | Name: |
IQuest |
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 | E-Mail: |
iandanner@hotmail com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-12-29 |
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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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