| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Liberty, Mt. Flume, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bike path, herd path, Liberty Spring Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 13, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room at the Basin northbound early this morning, but a lot more vehicles around noontime. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The larger one is still partially snowbridged (we'll see what's left from all of the Microspikers descending in the afternoon sun). Smaller crossings are open, but hoppable. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There is a blowdown blocking the trail above the campsite. Brushy between the peaks. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Bike path/snowmobile trail was firm this morning with an inch of fresh powder. Upon return around noontime, there was minimal snowmobile traffic and the path was spring snow with some blacktop exposed on a few turns.
Herd path up to Liberty Spring had a firm trough with an inch of snow; snowshoes needed. Surrounding snowpack was not consistently firm enough to support snowshoes without sinking.
Liberty Spring Trail in the hardwoods had some carnage from the barebooters in yesterday's sun, but wasn't terrible first thing this morning. That said, the bareboot brigade did a lot of damage throughout the morning today, leaving a lot of new postholes on either side of the narrow packed trail in their wake. By virtue of their postholes, the trail is becoming an elevated monorail. Above the Flume split, the snowpack was firm enough to support snowshoes off the packed trail, but barebooters were sinking in up to their thighs (particularly as the sun softened things up later this morning).
Trail was in better shape in the softwoods, though there were still plenty of random postholes. Snowshoes were the most efficient way to go, as evidenced by the slow-moving Microspikers and the smooth-moving (albeit way outnumbered) snowshoers.
Decent amount of drifting in places on the ridge prior to Liberty; a foot or so of drifted powder in some areas. Snowshoes were ideal; barebooters were churning it up/postholing/etc.
Between the peaks ranged from an inch of powder to boilerplate to powder drifts. Masked Massachusetts Microspikers pitched a tent in the middle of the trail in the col and relieved themselves on the trail; gross. Hard to go in the woods when there's 3 to 4 feet of snowpack and you have no means of flotation.
Saw many more buttsleds than snowshoes on the descent. Encountered one Microspiker slowly limping out, who apparently injured their knee postholing; hopefully they made it out safely.
Windy start first thing this morning, but winds dropped while up on the ridge, revealing a pleasant late morning with sunshine and temperatures around freezing by lunchtime. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-03-13 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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