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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Garfield, NH
Trails
Trails: Gale River Loop Road, Garfield Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Gale River Road closed. Parked to the side of the gate in front of the rocks, but there aren't any No Parking signs there anymore so a few more cars could fit in without blocking the gate. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable) 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: On trail the crossings are rock hops with wet boots. On the road the second is a rock hop but the first became a fairly easy crossing by walking a couple hundred feet up the river from the washed out bridge to use blowdown trees followed by a short wack to the road. There are two wooden pieces that could allow a solo hiker to get up and down from the bridge with some care, but even with a small dog that was out of the question.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: A few large blowdowns that will require a larger saw. I took out a fair number of spruce bendovers, especially up high, to add to what others have done, but there's more and as the snow melts more will appear and others will become more of a nuisance. Quite a few stretches of trail with running water in it but no serious erosion. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: As noted there is one river crossing that could be problematic. The mighty tough little dog had no problem using the blowdown trees but he's used to doing that at home with our brook. It's also a wet trail in lots of places. Pepper loved the whole thing including chipmunk city down low. 
Bugs
Bugs: No black flies. I've found one tick (dog) on me so far. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Trail starts out nice and dry with a muddy spot here and there, but stretches of running water appear and increasingly so with time until spots of monorail appear. I was able to bareboot the patches with care. After a while the monorail becomes continuous and I put on the snowshoes as soon as I postholed a couple of times as it was soft. It was great snowshoeing and they stayed on, except for the rocky peak, until I got back down to the same place. What a beautiful day to be on an easy on the knee trail using up another 09 vacation day. Wildflowers in bloom in places down low, including a stretch of dogtooth violet along the trail. It is easy enough to keep feet in the wet but mostly solid trail using rocks or wood and thus avoid walking on the side on the flowers. We had the trail to ourselves today. Nice views and jerky on top - Pepper is a mighty happy dog.  
Name
Name: Pepper and Me 
E-Mail
E-Mail: windriversjohn at gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2010-05-05 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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