| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Pemi East Side Trail, Pine Island Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 31, 2021 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at Lincoln Woods. Lot is plowed - a little icy in spots but not bad. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The only one of note was the crossing of Cedar Brook 4 miles from the trailhead, and that was easier than I expected. The skiers who had come before me had crossed successfully, and there were plenty of rocks to step on and what looked like a solid ice bridge. I could hear that water was flowing underneath, so I put snowshoes on just to be safe, and crossed without incident in both directions. See my note below about Pine Island Trail. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few minor blowdowns, but nothing serious. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a few. I guess they'd be OK as long as they're comfortable with cold temperatures. Most of the dogs I saw had some sort of doggy jacket on. |
|
 | Bugs: |
LOL! |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
About two miles in on Pemi East Side Trail, I met a pair of young women who said they were going to Owl's Head. Upon being informed that this was not the route to Owl's Head, they decided to continue up the trail and then try to cross the East Branch at the Franconia Brook Tentsite. Last I saw them, they were trying to find a place to cross the river. I hope they either crossed successfully or did the prudent thing and turned around. (I would not recommend trying to cross the East Branch anywhere except on the suspension bridge at the trailhead. There's still a lot of running water, even under seemingly-stable ice.) Also, there was a glove sitting on the sign that marks the former southern end of Pine Island Trail. |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
I pulled into the Lincoln Woods parking lot at around 9 AM - my car showed a temperature of 3 degrees. I headed up Pemi East Side Trail, which was nicely packed out by barebooters and skis - no traction is necessary. I knew that Pine Island Trail had been permanently closed, but when I reached the former southern junction of it I got curious whether it could be hiked in the winter. There were tracks following it, so I headed down that way. I made it about a tenth of a mile before coming to the crossing of Pine Island Brook, which was completely impassable. Ice of questionable stability went out for much of the distance, but there was also a section of flowing water that would need to be crossed, and there was no way to cross it. The now-closed trail clearly crossed at that point (there was a yellow blaze on the other side), but no one had tried to cross, which was a smart decision on everyone's part. I turned around and went back up to Pemi East Side Trail.
I continued north on the trail. When I reached the northern junction of Pine Island Trail, I followed it for a tenth or two, until I reached a questionable-looking river crossing. If there were other people with me, I might have attempted to cross it, but I was alone, so I turned around again and went back to the main trail. From there to the Wilderness boundary, the trail gradually got less well packed and more choppy, but it can still be easily barebooted. The view of the place where Franconia Brook joins the East Branch is excellent.
After continuing into the Wilderness, the trail narrowed and the bootprints disappeared, and soon the trail was just two parallel ski tracks. Enough people had skied on them that I could bareboot, but snowshoes would also work since I occasionally created divots when barebooting. (There was practically no ice, so micro-spikes would not have helped.) When I reached the crossing of Cedar Brook 4 miles from the trailhead, the skiers had continued across the brook. I could hear water flowing underneath, but the snow/ice bridge looked solid, and there were rocks to step on too. Just in case, I put my snowshoes on to spread my weight around more, and crossed without incident.
Continuing up the trail, I kept my snowshoes on, though barebooting might have still worked. Just one or two tenths from the end of the trail, in the middle of the final climb, the ski tracks ended - they must have turned around there. I knew that I was close to the junction, so I continued snowshoeing up the hill to the junction. This short section had a couple inches of powder on top of a fairly stable base, so breaking it out was not difficult. Finally, I reached the three-way junction of Pemi East Side, Wilderness, and Cedar Brook Trails. This junction, 5.2 miles from Lincoln Woods, was my turnaround point. Neither Wilderness nor Cedar Brook Trails had any recent tracks of any kind, but Wilderness and Cedar Brook both seemed to have minor depressions. Maybe someone used them a while ago this winter, before the most recent snowfall.
On the way back, I kept my snowshoes on until the Wilderness boundary, and then barebooted the rest of the way back. I encountered substantially more people on the way back, but the trail never felt crowded (I'm sure Lincoln Woods Trail was much more crowded.) It was a glorious day - blue skies and no wind. Temps were in the mid-20s upon my return to Lincoln Woods. The whole hike, including my lunch and exploration breaks, took about 5:15 - less time than I expected. It was a really fun day, and proof that you don't have to climb a mountain to enjoy the Whites. |
|
 | Name: |
GN |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2021-01-31 |
|
 | 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. |
|
