| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Surprise, Mt. Moriah, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Carter Moriah Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 26, 2015 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
fine parking under the power lines; nobody parked right at the start of the hiking trail; I was only car there when I arrived and on my return) |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
|
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
the usual 6 walk arounds (though 2 of them are stepped over by some) and some other easy step overs |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
|
|
 | Bugs: |
saw a few |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
beautiful morning hike even under and in cloudy skies; barebooted past Mt Surprise; at that point icy snowy monorail made me put on microspikes which I kept on til the summit; it was cold enough for the snow/monorail to be frozen/stable, even though the ice/snow was melting in places; it had snowed overnight so previous tracks were all covered from approx. 1mi above Mt Surprise to the summit; that also meant that previous post holes had been filled in and I 'found' a few... Lots of low hanging branches due to fresh wet, snow.
The backpack seemed to be getting heavier as I ascended and I thought 'boy, I seem to be in bad shape'. When I took off the pack on the summit I got a great surprise: my entire pack, snowshoes and straps were entirely buried by stick, wet snow :) Taking off the snow and snowshoes made my pack appear 'extra light' on the descend. I opted to put on snowshoes to avoid finding more old postholes on the descend and that worked like a charm. Steady footing all the way back to Mt Surprise. (On the summit approx. 4 fresh inches of snow overnight.) It snowed for about 5min on my descend. Then stopped. Approx. 1.5mi away from car/trailhead, drizzle began but it was comfy temperatures.
The ledges still have enough ice/snow coverage to be easily ascended and descended with light traction. No issues. No other hikers on the trail at all; chatted with local residents who live at the power lines while at my car--very nice folks.
Spring 48 complete. |
|
 | Name: |
M |
|
 | E-Mail: |
|
|
| Date Submitted: |
2015-04-26 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
