| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Whiteface, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Dicey's Mill Trail, Rollins Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, December 24, 2019 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
First one in the Ferncroft lot @ 7 AM. Only three other vehicles mid-afternoon. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Major crossing can be rock/log hopped with care. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There is one fallen entanglement about .5 mile into Wilderness. Were it not for pre-existing dinner plans I probably could have cleared it myself with my pack saw. No other issues to report. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Didn't see any. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Didn't see any. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
Found: a Wells Lamont work-type glove, at the Dicey's Mill/Rollins junction. I took it out with me and put it in the lost and found box at the lot. |
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|
 | Comments: |
Small patches and stretches of trail visible on Dicey's Mill Trail until about .5 mile after the river crossing. The minimal coverage to this point is a mix of ice and hard pack and then transitions to all hard pack up to the Rollins Trail junction. Rollins Trail to Whiteface summit is tracked out well and is mostly supportive hard pack. There are a couple of spots that would be nice to pack out with snowshoes but these spots are brief. However, all of the mini scrambles have ice flows (which may or may not be visible) so snowshoes would be more of a hindrance on those. So what's the 'right' answer? Probably more snow, but for today I used Hillsound spikes round trip and was pleased - snowshoes stayed on the pack. About 3" of the summit cairn is popping out from under the snow FWIW.
My gut feeling was to stay away from the ledges so I took the longer and much safer route to Whiteface (my favorite route to this area is Downes Brook Trail but that likely isn't a current option either). A longer route isn't necessarily a bad thing though since more time is spent outside :) It was really comfy given the temps and not having to deal with any wind. Beautiful blue skies allowed for great views through the trees and at the outlooks. It was VERY quiet here today: I didn't see another person the entire trek. |
|
 | Name: |
HMJ |
|
 | E-Mail: |
trailsntrees(at)gmail(dot)com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-12-25 |
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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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