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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mountain, Mt. Liberty, Mt. Flume, NH
Trails
Trails: Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Osseo Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, November 22, 2020
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Not many cars when I reached Lincoln Woods at 8am. Maybe only a dozen or so. Maybe a half dozen left when I returned at 5pm. Old Bridle Path trailhead parking wasn’t too busy either. Probably not much more than a dozen or two cars. Room for plenty more around 8:30-8:45am.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: None 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Old Bridle Path is blazed in yellow as is Osseo Trail. Osseo Trail seemed to be blazed regularly if not frequently. I don’t recall Old Bridle Path as well but I believe it was also blazed regularly. Note that there’s a blue blaze or two as well at its beginning; I imagine this is because Falling Waters Trail, which shortly diverges from it, is blazed in blue. Franconia Ridge Trail is blazed in white as it coincides with the AT from Lafayette to Liberty Springs Trail. Beyond there, I don’t recall how it was blazed. Greenleaf Trail was blazed in blue I believe but not at all frequently. I believe there was a duck under that was leaning across the trail somewhere on the ascent up toward Lafayette. I believe it was on the upper portion of Old Bridle Path bud it may have been a bit lower on the trail or on Greenleaf. I think there was a blowdown somewhere along the mid-upper portion of Osseo Trail as well. There’s likely a couple others I’m forgetting about as well likely between Little Haystack and Liberty Springs Trail.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: I wouldn’t have recommended this hike for dogs unless they’re experienced with above tree line winter hiking due to the wind chills yesterday and the ice which, at times, was prolific. I think we saw just one. Well behaved but off leash. I’m guessing the owner did just an out-and-back to Lafayette.  
Bugs
Bugs: None 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: None 
 
Comments
Comments: A great hike with my friend Peru to finish his 48 on top of Mount Lincoln! Congratulations my friend :D These were also my 30th-33rd 4000 footers this month bringing my grand total for November up to 40. Only 7 more to go :)

We started at 8:45am and reached the summit of Lafayette around 12pm. We put microspikes on not too long before the hut. Maybe just shy of 4000ft or so. Microspikes were absolutely necessary for safety and I actually really wished that I hadn’t brought my rock beaters. I would’ve really appreciated a new pair of spikes or even Hillspunds. Even then, there were some ice flows to avoid. Not saying that it’s worth bringing crampons for, but bring microspikes (that aren’t dull!) at a minimum. We met a group of young kids (seriously kids, maybe college age, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if they were 15-16 years old) doing the loop in sneakers without spikes. If I’d have met them sooner I probably would’ve turned them around or descended with them due to fear of their safety. I can’t believe they did the ridge or descended Old Bridle Path without spikes. I hear that Falling Waters was even worse. I had a polite conversation with them about deaths on the ridge and I think I got my point across without being a dick...hopefully it’s a lesson learned. A good deal of ice flows and boiler plate ice below tree line. Some of it unavoidable without going off trail. Above tree line the ice was more prevalent but usually not boilerplate or flows. That said, my dull spikes slipped a few times. A few times where the beaten path goes off trail to avoid ice covered rocks. The ice is sometimes just a thin film covering everything.

Great sunny morning and I could see at least a partial undercast as I drove in from the north in the morning. Things clouded up as predicted though and Lafayette was in the clouds when we summited. We had views headed down toward Lincoln and at Lincoln for my friends finish though which was what really mattered :) Liberty and Flume were totally in cloud when I arrived. We started to feel the wind a bit earlier than we thought we would too but the wind really wasn’t all that bad on the ridge although I certainly felt that my balaclava was necessary. Not too many people other than myself seemed to be suing them though.

Made it to Little Haystack at 1:30pm where my friend took Falling Waters Trail down and I continued on toward Liberty. I did these last 9mi or so of hiking in 3.5hrs which I was thrilled with :D The trail was pretty easy between Little Haystack and Liberty Springs Trail. Going up to Flume was a little painful though. Only saw one group of three along this stretch. Once below tree line past Little Haystack the trail remained very icy but no longer had ice flows; just black ice and some snow. One tricky sloping rock/ledge just beyond the summit of Flume that has some black ice underneath snow. I slipped a little here...if I slipped and fell a lot I could’ve had quite the fall. Definitely a place to exercise some caution. Note that there was, in a spot or two, a genuine couple inches of snow on the ridge between Lafayette and Lincoln by the way. I left my spikes on for maybe the first mile or so down Osseo Trail. Longer than they needed to be left on but you’re going to want to have them on for probably the first half mile or so down at least. I considered taking mine off in the col between Little Haystack and Liberty but was glad that I didn’t. Made it down Osseo Trail in 1.5hrs at 4:30pm where I put on my headlamp and walked out Lincoln Woods Trail to arrive at my car just before 5pm. A fun little kicker at the end of the day was that they blocked off the stairs that give access to the parking lot...don’t know why but got to “bushwhack” the last 10ft to my car ;P  
Name
Name: Liam Coone 
E-Mail
E-Mail: liamcooney96@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2020-11-23 
Link
Link: https:// 
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