| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Falling Waters Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, April 10, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room no issues |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues, all big crossings on FWT still well bridged but small pockets of the Dry Brook are open. The largest falls on FWT (Cloudland Falls?) are partially open. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails in pretty good shape |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Had a dog with us, conditions were fine for dogs - we leashed her on parts of the ridge near the larger drop-offs |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Did the loop clockwise and stayed in spikes the whole day. Snow was crusty and perfect for spikes heading up OBP in the morning except for a few very sunny patches where it was much softer. Above the hut headed to Lafayette conditions became more mixed with packed snow (including a few small packed drifts), crusty and softer ice and near looking spikes of snow/rime on the rocks and solid ice. Trail was pretty easy to follow except the tracks faded when the trail heads to the left around the spring. Conditions were the same over to Lincoln, but on the steeps on the south side there was plenty of bare rock and bare ground, even a few small mud patches, bit more snow and ice between the col and Little Haystack. Spikes were adequate, never once did I think of putting on Hillsounds. As is typical this time of year, the snow on the descent in the afternoon softened and became slushy by the bottom - saw plenty of postholes but monorail where wide enough where we didn't create any more. Plenty of snowballing with the spikes - some people would have probably done fine bare booting a good chunk of FWT but we felt more comfortable with spikes for the most part. Snowshoes got a free ride today, but if we had started postholing on the descent we certainly would have worn them. Only saw four other people all day and had the ridge to ourselves. Plenty of sun and great views and the winds weren't as bad as forecasted, maybe 20-25 on the ridge with a few higher gusts - great day! |
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 | Name: |
S and H |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-04-10 |
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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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