| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Lafayette (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, September 5, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Trailhead parking overflowing onto highway for 1/4 mile each way. State of NH sits on gold mine of parking fees they don't charge and tickets from cars towed from highway they don't post for "NO PARKING". Such fees and fines could help pay for rehabilitating these trails. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None on these trails. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Greenleaf:
Much old rockwork (steps and waterbars) where possible.
- All drains need re-digging,
- Young firs downhill of Eagle Cliff narrow corridor to 2' (but that also keeps hikers on a narrow trail whose gentle-moderate slope holds jagged gravel to walk on,so there is no further erosion on those grades),
- Blue blazes few and faded (in fairness, you'll know if you wandered off trail).
Light hiker traffic on this rough trail means it is eroding slowly. There are a few places where rock steps should be re-worked or new ones added at bottom of flight to stop present undermining.
Old Bridle Path:
As is the case everywhere, the steeper the grade, the more problems to fix. This crowded trail is often steep and has dozens of rock steps and about 90 drains from the trailhead up to Deadass Curve, which is a left turn before the first view to the south. The fixtures were built by AMC NH Chapter Volunteer Trail Crew from 1980 to about 2007.
- Yellow blazes in very good condition.
- Gentler grades on/below the Agonies have same conditions as fir corridor on Greenleaf Trail.
- Judging by the amount of debris and mineral soil in ditches, there was no Spring patrol to clean drains. Sand and gravel that should have been shoveled back on the treadway is still in outflow ditches. About a dozen old wood waterbars need replacing. Side ditches have about a year's worth of debris in them. Many drains will fail within the next year at present rate of filling.
- The trail no longer has a treadway that is well-defined and easy to hike (or at least easier than the alternatives). There are a dozen or more steepish places where hikers bypass collapsing rock steps via the woods: these bootleg paths on organic forest soil are eroding fast. In many places, intact flights of rock steps are being bypassed because there is no scree or barricade in place.
Conclusion: From the view above Deadass Curve on up, the trail is mostly bedrock with drains that need re-digging mostly uphill of the Agonies (whether those can or should be bypassed on zigzags is another discussion).
From Deadass Curve on down, this trail desperately needs work by a trail crew whose focus is erosion control. Without an inventory no good estimate is possible, but several hundred hours would be a good start. The number and size of rocks that could/should be moved to make room for or support a well-defined treadway indicates a Griphoist rigging team as well as several teams with hand tools and a certified sawyer to harvest trees for waterbars. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Greenleaf up, Old Bridle Path down |
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 | Name: |
Creag Nan Drochaid |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-09-06 |
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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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