| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Chocorua, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Hammond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 11, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Nicely plowed (and free!) parking at the end of Scott Road - enough room for 4-5 cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Two easy water crossings: one shallow brook requires quick rock hopping and the other is almost frozen over. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail is in great condition - only two blowdowns that require bending down to pass underneath along the entire trail... Yellow trail markers are fading away, but can still be spotted (mostly). Thank you Wonalancet Outdoors Club! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dog prints only. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We scouted Piper trail parking lot the night before and found it to be snowed in. Although it is still possible to park there on someone's private property for a small fee, we used this as an excuse to try a new trail. Interestingly, there was limited to no practical information on the internet about Hammond Trail. The best info on trail features I finally found in Steve Smith' (Mountain Wanderer) Blog http://mountainwandering.blogspot.com/2011/04/bald-mountain-chocorua-41211-having.html
We found the trail to be well used and quite suitable for winter hiking - it is wider than an average trail in the Whites, it doesn't have a lot of obstacles and scrambles, yet maintains high gradient to provide satisfaction of an exercise. Today it was possible to bareboot the trail with traction needed above Liberty cabin (more for confidence rather than safety). The deepest snow was only ankle deep (due to hard crust), yet it was white and wintery all around. Some trails that we passed (Weetamoo, Liberty, and Piper from the top) appeared to be also tracked, but not Brook trail. It was a cold winter day and the cabin provided us with some nice shelter for lunch. Beautiful views and sunset from summit. Took us about 6 hours including lunch and time to enjoy the views.
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 | Name: |
lostgaiter |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-01-11 |
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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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