| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Moriah, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Herd path, Stony Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 16, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Stony Brook lot plowed. Bump out for 1-2 vehicles near the old trail. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Main crossing was bypassed via the old trail. Top two crossings were initially snow bridged, but someone fell through the second one on the way down. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Quite a few 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: |
Tough conditions even with snowshoes today; did not see anyone without (and it would have been virtually impossible).
Old trail had not seen recent activity. Every tenth step (with snowshoes on) resulted in a knee deep posthole. Slow going.
Once joining the current Stony Brook Trail, there were many whole snowshoe postholes. The lack of consolidating weather events prior to the end of week warm up was resulted in the density of the underlying snowpack getting zapped, even in packed areas. Snowshoes were a must. Postholing (even with snowshoes) resulted in 2-4 foot holes. Firmer conditions above 2,000 feet.
The trail was a bit more firm once reaching the Carter-Moriah junction, though the sign is not visible (tracks heading both ways on the Carter-Moriah Trail). A herd path deviates to the left, then rejoins above the first ledge. Above here, there are many places in which the trail is bypassed because the corridor is full of snow (and thus all branches). A few short areas of exposed ledge or blue ice. Many areas in which the blazes are at or below the snowpack. Once again, snowshoes were a must and everyone out had them on. I can't imagine falling into such deep snowpack without flotation.
Also above 2,000 feet, there was a dusting of snow today. Since the melting has dropped the snowpack to roughly the packed footbed level, this little bit of snow was enough to drift the trail over in a matter of minutes and cover it up without a trace in some places. Since there are a lot of open areas, knowledge of the trail and/or navigational skills are important in this condition.
The final chute from Kenduskeag is very well filled in with snow (sometimes this can be very icy). This sign is also completely buried (you can see the top of the post). Noted some tracks heading down Kenduskeag, but no idea how far.
Overall, the snowpack is roughly 3 to 6 feet deep with deeper drifts. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-03-16 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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