Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Tom, Mt. Field, Mt. Avalon, NH |
|
| Trails: |
Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Willey Range Trail |
|
| Date of Hike: |
Thursday, January 28, 2021 |
|
| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Crawford Depot which had about 2-3" of fluffy snow in it. Doable if you have AWD and/or snow tires. |
|
| Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
| Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
| Water Crossing Notes: |
First crossing is bridged solid, second is a somewhat tricky rock-hop under a partially fallen tree. Everything above that is bridged solid. |
|
| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Leaning tree on Avalon trail at the second crossing of Crawford Brook makes the rock-hop a bit tricky. Other than that, there are two blowdowns just above the A-Z trail junction on the Avalon trail. One is a step over that will be pretty easy after the next storm. The other is a duck under that will be pretty tough after the next storm. Otherwise smooth sailing. |
|
| Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw two, both seemed in good spirits. From the looks of their tracks, at least one had quite the snowy swim off-trail in some deep drifts! |
|
| Bugs: |
|
|
| Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
| Comments: |
Lovely day in the mountains! Hiked up Avalon behind a couple and their dog then didn't see a soul after turning towards Mt Tom on the A-Z trail. Avalon up until the A-Z trail junction is very very well-packed and the couple in front of me did no discernable damage barebooting. That story is much different above 2800ft or so where a recent barebooter did some serious damage to the A-Z trail track. I tried to smooth things out a bit, but stopped short of filling in all the 2-4 foot postholes. It's passable for sure with snowshoes, just use care to avoid a twisted ankle. Above that, everything was solidly broken out but still a bit soft, especially with 2-3" of fresh fluff. Still definitely snowshoe season up high! There wasn't a breath of wind until the summit of Mt Field though that seems poised to change tomorrow. |
|
| Name: |
Jack Sillin |
|
| E-Mail: |
jack.sillin@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2021-01-28 |
|
| Link: |
https:// |
|
|
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. |
|