| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Tom, Mt. Field, Mt. Willey, Mt. Avalon, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Mt. Avalon Spur, Cascade Loop |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, March 10, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
AMC Parking at the train station is closed even though the lot is cleared and accessible. We parked across from the Jackson-Webster Trailhead. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The major crossings on Avalon and A-Z were stable. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The Willey Range Trail is littered with blowdowns. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Most of this post is moot as the snow falling today was covering up our work and whatever falls tonight should completely remove any evidence we were there.
Anywho...
The Avalon Trail to the A-Z Trail junction and then the A-Z Trail all the way to Mt. Tom were solid monorails. These trails are built for speed and only need microspikes.
The Willey Range Trail was another story. Between the junction and Mt. Field, the trail was present at times and then drifted over at others. There was clearly less traffic on this section of trail. Halfway, to Field we switched to snowshoes and these stayed on until we returned to Field. Between Field and Willey, there was little to no evidence of anyone using that section of trail. We broke trail, but my guess is by tomorrow no one will know.
The upper section of the Avalon Trail was not as steep as I remembered. We had hoped to butt slide down most of the trail, but the sections were not steep enough and the new snow was not helping. We should have stayed in snowshoes (microspikes are easier to butt slide with) as the trail is littered with hidden postholes.
The lower section of the Avalon Trail is steep and was perfect for butt sliding. We got down this section in no time.
The Cascade Loop was sort of packed down. It was fine with microspikes. |
|
 | Name: |
BobTheLoveGoat |
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 | E-Mail: |
BobTheLoveGoat at yahoo dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-03-10 |
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 | Link: |
 https://lovegoatfilms.blogspot.com/2017/03/winter-hiking-ends-with-trifecta.html |
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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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