| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Kinsman, South Kinsman, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lonesome Lake Trail, Fishin' Jimmy Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, February 8, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lafayette Place northbound was quasi-plowed this morning at 7. Southbound filled up and was therefore not particularly plowed. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Lake is frozen over. Crossings are mostly snow bridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Widowmaker just above the hut. Quite a few leaners from the ice too. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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|
 | Comments: |
Generally 3-6" new powder on top of a crust on top of perhaps half a foot from the Thursday storm.
Lonesome Lake Trail to the lake could be booted, but snowshoes were the easiest way to go (booters were spinning their wheels a lot, even in spikes). The lake crossing was best in snowshoes, as booters were breaking through the crust into the slush.
From the hut, the trail was unbroken all the way to South Kinsman. I set a good route up the steep areas with underlying ice, however the Massachusetts Microspikes came up later and destroyed them (now there is blue ice from where they lost their grip and took all the snow back down with them; one could still pick their way up these areas with mountain snowshoes mid-day, but it was already getting pretty trashed). Then starts the classic example of Massachusetts Microspikers leaving a lasting impact on the trail - they take to the woods and pull down smaller trees, leading to trail creep and the subsequent erosion problem that is plaguing our trails.
There was some decent drifting up on the ridge, sometimes 3 feet tall. Overall, the snowpack higher up looks to be 3 to 4 feet, and perhaps 2 feet down lower.
No sign of any tracks coming up Mt. Kinsman Trail as of 11 AM, or heading to Kinsman Pond, or north to the Cannonballs, or the Dodge Cutoff. Some tracks on Hi-Cannon, but not well packed down.
Snowshoes stayed on roundtrip and there was never even a thought to taking them off. Winter has returned and snowshoes are the way to go if you're a winter mountain hiker. |
|
 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-02-08 |
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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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