| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Kinsman, South Kinsman, Bald Peak, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Mt. Kinsman Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Bald Peak Spur |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 23, 2016 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Pretty good sized dirt lot; No facilties; Unplowed with 2-3 inches of snow and a 6-8 inch "bank" pulling into lot. (Route 116 was in very good shape). Several people had driven previously so there were some ruts to use. My small economy car did some slipping and sliding getting in but was able to do it. Only car there at 6:15AM. Three cars when I left. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Several river crossings. All froze and bridged but sounded very hollow and a good flow of running water could be heard underneath. If it warms up at all they might break. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Excellent shape. Mt Kinsman Trail and Bald Peak Spur freshly blazed. KRT saw a few blazes but most trees obscured with blown snow. One easy duck under about 1/2 mile up from Bald Spur Spur junction. There are also several leaners which are no issue now but will become duck unders as snow pack deepens. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Fine for dogs. Saw several along the way. |
|
 | Bugs: |
n/a |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
n/a |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Great hike today. Mt Kinsman Trail was generally a somewhat loosely packed powder track. There were several short sections of cloudy gray ice and occasional puddle but gripped easily. The upper parts past Bald Peak Spur had more of a fluff to it but was generally still fine. Kinsman Ridge Trail was pretty well packed down powder with occasional frozen granular areas with thick black ice (the ledge sections essentially) but they were easily bypassed and had enough snow to go up. After North Kinsman outlook the trail was untouched. Generally 6-12 inches of light fluffy powder. Roughly at the col the drifts started so I switched from micro spikes to snow shoes and broke the trail rest of way to South Kinsman. Was a fair amount of drifting to the knees. The drifts just before South Kinsman summit were rock solid. Even stomping on them wouldn't break through (I go 260+ lbs with gear). Summit was fairly windblown with a thin packed down snow layer. On way out I passed several other people (all in snowshoes) so the track should be much more packed down and broken out now. From North Kinsman to Mt Kinsman Trail junction several large groups packed it down and scraped off a lot of the ledge areas to expose more of the ice but it was still easy enough even in snowshoes. Mt Kinsman Trail was in same condition on way down. Upper sections were a little more tracked by snowshoes but only a few people had come up this way. Bald Peak Spur had thin, packed snow cover and was an easy walk. Summit had 2-3 inches of fluffy powder. Entire route could be done easily in spikes now but there are places snow shoes were more convenient. |
|
 | Name: |
DayTrip |
|
 | E-Mail: |
bblanchette0709@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2016-01-24 |
|
 | 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. |
|
