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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks East Sleeper (attempt), NH
Trails
Trails: Downes Brook Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Two other vehicles when I arrived at 7:30 AM and only the same two were there besides mine at 4 PM. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Wet/Sticky 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Impossible to not get your boots wet at most of the numerous crossings. Rocks you otherwise could hop on were ice-glazed above water line. Sure footing was available on below surface rocks, but you want waterproof boots and gaiters. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: A number of leaners due to the weight of wet snow on the lower half of the trail. Otherwise, nothing major. Hard to follow the trail at points (especially at the upper water crossings) but that is to be expected for a snow-covered, non broken-out trail in a wilderness area. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Dogs need to like water crossings for Downes brook trail. 
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Snow was trace-level at the trailhead and didn't get deep enough to slow bare-boot hiking until the Wilderness area boundary. Snowshoes didn't go on until mile three. They could have helped a bit earlier, but I didn't want to bang them up on the scattered exposed rocks. Not much ice on trail except for the rocks in the brook.

Much time was wasted on pointless attempts to rock-hop or bushwhack around the water crossings. Even with micro-spikes the icy rocks were too slippery to hop on. Bushwhacks required climbing and descending steep embankments. It would have been better to just embrace getting wet, especially since boots were going to be submerged in snow on the trail anyway. Route-finding was also slow. The trail was not broken out past mile two and apparently has been rerouted since my GPS map often had it on the wrong side of the brook. The AMC map doesn't have enough detail to see all the water crossings well. I went out and got the Wonalancet outdoor club map afterwards to help with the next attempt and it is much better for Downes brook.

About 0.6 miles from the intersection with Kate Sleeper trail I turned around because summiting would either have meant skipping a hot meal or making several water crossings by headlamp.

Only saw two other hikers all day. They were going up to camp as I was coming down, so the entire Downes brook trail should be broken out by now.

One good thing about the bushwhacks is that I saw large bobcat tracks that went on for about 100 yards.  
Name
Name: Al S 
E-Mail
E-Mail:  
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2020-12-11 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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