NewEnglandTrailConditions.com
NewEnglandTrailConditions.com:
MA
|
ME
|
NH
|
RI/CT
|
VT
|
Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Garfield, NH
Trails
Trails: Gale River Road, Garfield Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 21, 2018
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Clean and clear.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Crossings are thought provoking, but easy.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Nearer to the bottom (maybe 20 minutes in from the summer trail head) is a large blow-down, and people had been walking a wide path around it. I took a small pruning saw and did some limbing, so now people can fairly easily hop over the trunk, and avoid eroding the bypass area. Anyone else with a somewhat larger saw (maybe a mid to large folding bow saw) could make quick work of the remainder of the trunk. It's probably 12-15 inches in diameter, not much more. The remainder of the trail is unremarkable from a maintenance standpoint.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Regrettably, no pups on the trail today.  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: The recent snows have left a winter wonderland on the slopes of Mt Garfield. The lower elevations are blanketed with a dusting to an inch or so. As the deciduous forest gives way to spruce, the inches pile up to around 4-6. Somewhere around the 3,000-3,500 foot mark, the astute observer can find hoarfrost on the tree branches. Higher up, the path starts looking like a cathedral to the snow king. And then at the summit, the wind sculpted sensuous forms around any protuberance.

Throughout, the trail was in fine shape. On the way up, bare boots had their way with the surface, but on the way down, myself and a couple other hikers used snowshoes, and that seems to have smoothed things out quite a bit.

With the snow in its unconsolidated form, Microspikes are likely to ball up and slide on the wet snow. I wore Kahtoola K10 crampons on the way up, and halfway, switched to snowshoes, because I was having trouble slipping with my back foot -- not losing balance, but losing forward power. With the snowshoes, I saw a remarkable improvement and made much better time. Toward the summit, the trail was getting spongy enough, and the snow deep enough that the snowshoes were indeed the way to go.

Blog post with pictures will be forthcoming as per usual.  
Name
Name: Protean Wanderer 
E-Mail
E-Mail: hiker@proteanwanderer.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2018-04-21 
Link
Link: https://www.proteanwanderer.com 
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.

Copyright 2009-2024, All Rights Reserved