| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Kinsman, South Kinsman, Bald Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Kinsman Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Bald Peak Spur Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 4, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Trailhead lot is plowed and has room for about a dozen vehicles. Route 116 leading to the trailhead has a thin layer of loosely packed powder and some patches of ice. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Not an issue -- everything is snow-bridged or frozen. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails are in fine shape -- only one small (2-3 inches in diameter) duck-under leaner in the col between North and South Kinsman, on the Kinsman Ridge Trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Excellent day to be out -- about -10 at the trailhead to start, then almost 20 degrees on the summits, then back to -10 at the trailhead.
Conditions on the trails are pretty good -- everything is packed out and for the first couple of miles on the Mt. Kinsman Trail, light traction would suffice. After that, snowshoes worked best, in particular near and between the summits, where the snow depth increases to over a foot with drifts of up to two feet.
For those concerned about blue ice and the recent snowfall atop that, not to worry -- the snow has fused nicely to the ice. Where it has not -- in two or three short, flat sections -- it is obvious and can be avoided or trod over. |
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 | Name: |
Pancks and Tesco Heaney |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-01-05 |
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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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