Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Liberty, NH |
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| Trails: |
Bike path, Liberty Spring Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 14, 2018 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plowed at the Basin, no problems. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable) |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Traction, Snowshoe |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossing just off Bike Path (coming from Basin) and first two crossings on Liberty Spring after the Flume Slide Tr. intersection were no problem to jump across. The big crossing at Cascade Brook was a different story. Plenty of water and ice with no bridges. We considered sliding across the log across the stream about 100' to the north but didn't. Another person tried after us and slid off into the water (she was fine but ended up returning to car). Bushwhacked up the west side immediately along the bank and found another narrow spot with a good log to cross about 250' upstream from the normal crossing. We used this on the way back too. You can follow our post holes up either bank if you walk to the first log crossing. Several others came after us and I'm assuming they slid across the first log. Lots more tracks on the west side of the brook, so I'm assuming a lot of people attempted but stopped here. |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Only one small stepover blowdown near the summit. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
Water crossing would be difficult given the cold temps (<10F all day) |
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| Bugs: |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
The condition of the trail is okay if you use traction. Up to the big stream crossing it is a mix of crusty snow/ice and an icy stream bed where the recent rains have washed out the monorail. Above the big crossing the monorail is relatively stable but has big snowshoe sized potholes about 6" deep. There was a trace amount of snow from the last storm. We just used traction the entire way, no need to snowshoe except around the stream crossings where you might need to bushwhack. |
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| Name: |
ScottD |
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| E-Mail: |
sadresser at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-01-14 |
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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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