| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
East Quarry Mountain, North Straightback, Mt. Major, Straightback Mountain, Mt. Anna, Mt. Mack, Mt. Klem, Rand Mountain, West Quarry Mountain, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Road walk, Reed Road Trail, Dave Roberts Quarry Trail, Quarry Spur Trail, Blue Trail, Brook Trail, Red Trail, Quarry Trail By-Pass |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 14, 2021 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty at the Reed Road lot: first one in @ 7 AM; three others when I returned early afternoon. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There are a few small crossings in the Red Trail between Anna and Mack that pose no problems. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There are a few fallen trees on the route. One is just above where the Blue and Yellow Trails merge on the W slope of Major. Another (IIRC) is on the Anna side of the Mack-Anna col. Two others are on the W side of West Quarry: one more toward Rand and another about 2/3 up the slope. Blazing and signage is always good here - and it looks like the informational sign about the quarry site was replaced since the last time I was here so thanks for that also! |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Didn't see any. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Didn't see any. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
Both: my sunglasses on the E slope of East Quarry while doing a mini whack-around of some hard ice flows. With the winds I figured I'd need them on Major and fortunately only a few minutes had passed when I realized I dropped them. |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
I had no idea what to expect in this area and was overall pleasantly surprised: a nice track laid out and packed well by prior snowshoers...three cheers for that! The track was mostly hardened and supportive throughout. There were some stretches where it was choppy and every once in a while there are a couple of postholes up to a foot deep (mostly off to the side thank goodness) and every other once in a while there are small patches of bare trail. That said, there are a number of sketchy slopes with hard ice flows and a couple with softening snow over underlying ice. Snowshoes were dead weight as I wore spikes for the entire hike - but in a few of those iffy spots I kinda wished I had something a little more aggressive. Given what I saw all morning there was zero chance I was taking the DR Quarry Trail proper up the ledges of West Quarry and opted for the by-pass - which was no piece of cake either.
I came up with this mostly wooded route to stay out of the wind and in that regard it worked well. When atop Major some clouds had come in over the lakes but other viewpoints were better when the sun was out. There were even a few snowflakes here and there mid-morning. I only saw nine others all day - and four of those were ascending the Reed Road Trail as I was descending. In a best case scenario I was hoping to avoid crowds so in that regard this route worked well also. |
|
 | Name: |
HMJ |
|
 | E-Mail: |
trailsntrees(at)gmail(dot)com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2021-03-14 |
|
 | 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. |
|
