| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Passaconaway, Mt. Whiteface, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Oliverian Brook Trail, Passaconaway Cutoff, Square Ledge Trail, Walden Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail, Rollins Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 31, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
A large space was plowed out just off road for 8-10 cars. The bank from this partially blocked the road to the official lot near gate. 4x4's and cars with decent clearance should be able to drive in. I stayed near road. The official lot is almost completely iced over with thick gray ice and sinks in the middle so cars might have some fun in there. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Two crossings of note. One on Oliverian Brook was iced over but ice varied widely from solid to hollow to brittle. Enough rocks to make it easy. The crossing on Passaconaway is totally open, but water levels are very low and while gravel mostly there are enough small rocks just above and just below water for an easy crossing. Various other small brooks and drainages that were generally open water or unstable gray ice and very easy. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Generally good shape. Mostly in wilderness area so not many blazes. Rollins Trail had mostly very old and faded blue squares that were fairly spread out. Several spaced out blowdowns along the route. One was fairly large on Passaconaway Cut off but fell in same direction of trail and is easily avoided. Only other one of note was in the upper section of Rollins Trail. It is a tangle of 5-6 trees that is a reasonably easy duck under right now but will become a big issue when (if) snow deepens. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Fine for dogs. Only saw 5-6 people and almost all of them had a dog along. |
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 | Bugs: |
Tons of hatches of those huge clouds of black microscopic bugs. Look like tiny fleas for lack of a better description. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
n/a |
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|
 | Comments: |
Reasonable conditions today. Most of the trails were soft, somewhat wet granular base. Firm in places but somewhat loose in steeper areas like upper parts of Cut Off, Square Ledge and Walden (East Side). Lot of places was like walking in beach sand but not really worth snow shoes unless you wanted the heel lifters for the steeps. Pretty much stayed the same all day, although snow is definitely getting wetter at the lower elevations. There are some short but pretty awkward icy scraped off areas in upper parts of Square Ledge Trail, the East part of the Walden loop (which I found much steeper and difficult than the West side most people take up) and a few parts of Rollins in the upper sections. Some general icy patches that was generally the cloudy gray type and was firm AM but definitely soft on the way out. All the outlooks had very good views today despite the forecast for clouds. Wind was really kicking up later in the afternoon. |
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 | Name: |
DayTrip |
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 | E-Mail: |
bblanchette0709@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-01-31 |
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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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