| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Mexico, Mt. Paugus - South Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Cabin Trail, Big Rock Trail, Old Paugus Trail, Lawrence Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 31, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Two plowed areas just east of the bridge on 113A |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Snow bridge over Whitten Brook was solid. All other crossings, on Cabin Trail, were easy to step or jump over. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Blazes need refreshing on the Old Paugus Trail |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Left the car around 8:30, 1 degree but no wind. Spikes went on immediately and stayed on until about halfway up Old Paugus Trail. Surface initially was firm, chewed up by boots, with ice in spots. As we climbed the surface had some loose snow but again very chopped up and generally firm. Once across the Brook the snow was deeper, with a broken crust and boot tracks. Eventually we decided it was loose enough to switch to snowshoes, so we could use televators. We had forgotten about the rocky scramble up to where the trail turns right at the base of a rock wall, but managed it with snowshoes. Would have been easier with spikes as some of the rocks were very high steps for me. Continued to follow the tracks all the way to Paugus, encountering several very icy areas. Fortunately there was enough snow sticking to the ice that enabled us to get up with minimal slipping. As we approached the summit our track on Gaia indicated we were north of the trail, and we did in fact end up crashing through a few trees to emerge into the large clearing. Not really sure if we lost the trail or not, but it did seem to deadend at that spot. Quick descent on Lawrence trail, a couple of slippery spots but we just rode the snowshoes down. Cabin trail had a few icy spots and a very narrow track. Switched back to spikes after about a mile, as the surface was so chopped up and we weren't improving it much. Faster exit on the spikes, lots of small water crossings all easily managed. 7.7 mi loop, moving time just under 5 hrs. |
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 | Name: |
Sugaree |
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 | E-Mail: |
barkers@alumni.unh.edu |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-02-01 |
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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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