| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Kearsarge, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Road walk, Winslow Trail, Barlow Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, January 20, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The end of Kearsarge Mountain Road is gated for the winter, but the end of the road before the gate is plowed and there is room for 6-7 vehicles in that area. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Not an issue. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails are in good shape. There is one small (four-inch diameter) step-over blowdown on the Winslow Trail about 0.4 miles from the summit. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
End of Kearsarge Mountain road past gate and up to trailhead is being used by snowmobiles and is 3-4 inches of packed powder over a thick layer of blue ice. Winslow Trail is 1-2 inches of powder over thick blue ice. Summit area is bare rock with 1-2 feet of drifted snow in spots. Barlow Trail is 2-4 inches of powder over thick blue ice.
Not enough snow for snowshoes; even up top -- the shoes stayed on the pack today. We used Hillsounds (Microspikes on steroids; anything with shorter teeth was not able to get through the snow to the ice underneath and grip) and these worked very well, including over the Blue Ice Cathedral section (middle third) of the Winslow Trail. Crampons would do the trick, as well.
The few people we saw today used the power line cut to head up top in order to avoid the blue ice on the Winslow Trail. However, with the proper footgear, the Winslow Trail is fast-moving -- no trippy rocks or tree roots to worry about.
Thanks to the Cardigan Mountain Highlanders for rebuilding the summit cairns last year on the Barlow Trail -- it made for quick route-finding heading down in the summit clouds/snowshowers.
Everything in the area has a fresh coating of white powder, making this loop a nice winter leg-stretcher.
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 | Name: |
Pancks and Tesco Heaney |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-01-20 |
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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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