Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Smarts Mountain, NH |
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| Trails: |
Lambert Ridge Trail, Smarts Ranger Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 6, 2020 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Slush |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
Rock-hoppable |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Up high on the summit ridge, a few stretches need brushing. With just a foot of accumulation you're already in the canopy! With several feet more snow, trail will be tough to keep. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
Through many of the wet/muddy spots I followed the Aussie's prints rather than those of the humans, around the mud. Smart dog. |
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| Bugs: |
Good riddance. |
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| Lost and Found: |
I almost lost a microspike; but I went back to retrieve it. Wet and sticky base caked up the spikes quite a bit. |
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| Comments: |
Great day to shake out the gear and get into some snow. Cursed myself for forgetting the snowshoes; I really did intend to use them, and they would have been helpful. On the positive side, the ankles and achilles got a good workout. Saw several others on this side of the mountain, though it seems only a couple of them went far enough to touch the true summit (the fire tower isn't the summit!).
4-6" down low, a foot up high with higher drifts in places. No one used snowshoes but before long it'll be important if you have them. Strong winds but the forested summit provided great cover. No views on this cloudy day, and the fire tower's windows were all covered by frozen snow. It is open, however. |
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| Name: |
Erik Bertrand |
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| E-Mail: |
erik@bertpc.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-12-07 |
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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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