Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mountain, NH |
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| Trails: |
Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Falling Waters Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Monday, December 26, 2016 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
None on Old Bridle Path. About half the crossings on Falling Waters are open (but hoppable), but some of the others are in danger due to warming temps and hoards of barebooters. |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Cut out a blowdown on Falling Waters. Upper Old Bridle Path is very brushy. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
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| Bugs: |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
Old Bridle Path was generally packed powder with a few icy chutes due to buttsliding damage. The footbed is a bit narrow from barebooters, so snowshoeing could be a little awkward. I left my snowshoes on my pack for this part and wore spikes.
Greenleaf Trail had some drifting in the scrubby areas. I almost went with snowshoes, but stayed in spikes with treeline approaching. The traditionally icy turn on upper Greenleaf has some hardpack over the top of the blue ice, so my spikes were able to get purchase.
The ridge was a mix of drifts, hard pack, and blue ice, with some bare rock as well. I kept my spikes on, but found some of the blue ice descending Lincoln to be a little much for them. A little more adhering snow and snowshoes could be more viable on the ridge.
I put on snowshoes as soon as I got into the trees on Falling Waters and was glad I had them. A decent portion of the upper trail had drifted overnight. There was adequate snowpack to wear them all the way back to the parking lot with only a few short icy stretches. Amazed to see that, with the hoards of ascending hikers, only one person appeared to be carrying snowshoes. Snow pack is 2-3 feet, so if experiencing a navigational or other emergency above treeline, barebooting isn't going to get you far. That, and it appears some barebooters prefer to go to the bathroom on the actual trail now, rather than posthole their way to a tree.
Nice sunrise on Lafayette and fairly mild winds/temps this morning. |
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| Name: |
rocket21 |
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| E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-12-26 |
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| Link: |
https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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