| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Straightback Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Major Trail, Brook Trail, Quarry Spur Trail, White Trail, North Straightback Link |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, January 28, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lot is plowed and bare tar. 5 cars at 11am, 2 cars at 4pm |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No real problems, might have to step in a couple inches at worst. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No issues |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Brook Trail, as much as I did, should be fine. The Straightback stuff might give them some trouble. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I started out in spikes. Brook Trail has some areas that are postholed, but overall, the monorail is firm and fast. Lots of traffic has boot packed it almost flat, and where water has invaded the trail and froze, there are good boot packed side paths.
Where BRT branches off the Brook Trail, the path gets narrower and is less consolidated. I switched to snowshoes. This was improving the trail, as well as giving me better purchase.
On the Quarry Spur Trail, I was following a single postholer track, and breaking maybe 4"-6" of snow, but it was easy breaking, and not slowing me down. The blazes were very faint and hard for me to find.
Had a nice lunch just off that little section of the White Trail near the summit. Found a spot in the sun and out of the wind, able to sit for awhile without getting cold.
I descended on North Straightback Link, again in snowshoes. The top steeps required some extra care. The green blazes were a lot better than on the Quarry Spur Trail. After I got back on the Brook Trail, I switched to crampons just to make it a little easier.
I really liked being able to see through the trees, for me this hike was MUCH better in winter. You can see over to Mt. Major and watch for the little stick people on the summit, as you descend. |
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 | Name: |
Steve Marion |
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 | E-Mail: |
swamp_fox@comcast.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-01-28 |
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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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