| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Lafayette (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Greenleaf Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 20, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at the Tramway parking lot. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing of consequence. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
While we only saw a handful of blazes on Greenleaf Trail, I found it easy to follow. Just be on the lookout for the numerous sharp turns and switchbacks. No blowdowns that I can recall. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Don't see why not. There's not a lot of water until the hut, so be prepared. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Amazingly, practically none. Even when we stopped, we saw only a couple. We wore bug spray with DEET, but that probably washed away quickly from all our sweating. Maybe the intense heat and humidity of the past few days has finally reduced their numbers. (We stayed at Sugarloaf II Campground the nights before and after, and bugs weren't much of an issue there either.) |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nada. |
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|
 | Comments: |
On this very hot and humid Saturday, we decided to take the lesser-used route up to Greenleaf Hut, and then maybe head up toward Lafayette and see how far we get. The first half-mile of Greenleaf Trail is mostly flat, but it's very rough and takes longer than you might expect. The next mile ascends a series of switchbacks up to Eagle Pass. This part was brutally hot and humid. Eagle Pass was beautiful, however, and once we got through it, the remainder of the trail above it wasn't so bad temperature-wise. The upper half does have a bunch of damp, slippery rocks that require care, especially on the descent. We saw only about a half-dozen hikers in the 2:45 ascent to the hut.
Then, as we continued past the hut, we'd meet a half-dozen hikers every 60 seconds. We met a lot of people coming down from Lafayette to the hut who had started the loop very early (a good idea, considering the heat). We continued about 4 or 5 tenths above the hut, to the final treeline, and decided to turn around there. Views were good but somewhat hazy due to the heat. Returning to the hut, we enjoyed the excellent chocolate mocha cake they had for sale there, and headed back down Greenleaf. We saw only about another half-dozen people while coming down. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-07-22 |
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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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