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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Little Haystack Mountain, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lafayette, NH
Trails
Trails: Falling Waters Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Monday, January 2, 2017
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: There were several cars before 8am, but only 1/3 of the lot was used. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: There are a few open streams easy to step over or rock hop. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes:  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: two happy dogs in matching red jackets 
Bugs
Bugs: none 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: found a yaktrax and returned it to it's owner. 
 
Comments
Comments: I started off barebooting and quickly decided to put on my snowshoes. I enjoyed the televators off and on. The trail was well tracked but too soft for spikes. I was comfortable in light traction on the ridge, however there were many in crampons. The drift on the ridge were in several places, kind of tracked out and easy to step in others foot steps around 18" deep.

Leaving the summit of Lafayette I cautiously chose my footing due to the compacted snow over ice on the cone in one short section. Once I was back in the trees, there were drifts and the trail was uneven with postholes so I switched back to snowshoes until the parking lot.

I played leapfrog with a group of 3 from start to finish, turns out one of them was OldMan - it's always fun to meet people that write trail reports regularly! I also met up with Hiker Ed, Richard and Ned. It was a great kinda solo hike. Absolutely stunning... and super fun slidding in snowshoes down the steeps on OBP.

I watched some barebooters slip and struggle and - it didn't look fun. Even though there were four of us in snowshoes at the end of the day, there were several out in spikes only, and a few 'Reebok hikers' walking up OBP within the last mile of the parking lot.  
Name
Name: Rachel 
E-Mail
E-Mail: ball one three one one at yahoo dot com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2017-01-02 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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