| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Howe Peak, Shelburne Moriah Mountain, Mt. Moriah, Mt. Surprise, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Road walk, Shelburne Trail, bushwhack, Kenduskeag Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, March 14, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We spotted a car in the carter-moriah lot on Bangor street. We parked our other car on Rt. and road walked to the shelburn trailhead. Our 4x4 may have made it up the icy road, but the other car was 2x4. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Kenduskeag has some minor blowdown. The footbed is strangely narrow. I can see how it would be hard to follow in full winter conditions |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
There was boot traffic up to the height of land on the shelburne trail, but strangely there is not evidence of people turning up the Kenduskeag. We used snowshoes most of the way up, and they were necessary to avoid knee deep postholing. The bushwhack was uneventful. We could not follow our tracks out due to thin cover and bare spots. Howe is such a cool peak. The Kenduskeag was easy to follow, but involved some minor trail breaking. The exposed parts of the Shelburne summit are bare rock and mud. There were some very dangerous icy flows (no-fall zones), coming down the west side of kenduskeag. We very carefully worked down them in our snowshoes. Going down Moriah there were constant blue ice flows. Crampons are highly recommended, but we did not bring them...used micros. We each took two falls, all four of which could have been bad. Due to getting a late start and being slowed down/taking out time for views, we ended up working down a lot of the tough going after dark.
Overall, a great day out. Thanks Kyle for coming up for this one. Although an out-and-back without Moriah would have been easier, Shelburne Moriah is best as a traverse in my opinion (plus a winter 4k for Kyle). |
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 | Name: |
zporterColdRiverCampCook |
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 | E-Mail: |
zap88@tds.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-03-14 |
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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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