| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Carrigain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Sawyer River Road, Signal Ridge Trail, herd path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, April 7, 2021 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Sawyer River Road gated. Winter lot dry. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Via the abandoned trail, the main water crossing was rock hoppable on wet rocks; the main spring snow melt probably hasn't hit yet. Smaller crossings were also rock hoppable. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Perhaps a dozen or so blowdowns of various sizes. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Watch out for toilet paper/human waste left immediately on the side of the trail from Microspikers. Real winter hikers snowshoe off trail when nature calls. |
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 | Bugs: |
None yet. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
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|
 | Comments: |
Sawyer River Road was mostly bare with a few patches of blue ice (including near the very beginning). We were able to bareboot without issue.
Snowpack surprisingly started within a few dozen feet of the summer trailhead (snow has hung on much better here than in the Waterville/Lincoln/Twin Mountain areas). Other than a few mucky areas and one or two brief melted areas, there was nearly complete monorail from the summer trailhead to the old Carrigain Notch junction and beyond. Very little use on the Carrigain Notch/swamp relo; vast majority of traffic has used the abandoned trail. Snowpack is generally 1 to 2 feet down here. In the sun, the monorail is becoming unstable and is narrow.
Brief section of bare ground near the start of the actual climb, however full snowpack resumed after the first S switchback. I put on snowshoes here and kept them on until I returned to this point on the descent. Initially the monorail is narrow, however it was two snowshoes wide starting around 2,600 feet in elevation, and faded into the snowpack perhaps around 3,600 feet. More recent snow above 4,000 feet in places, drifting about 6" deep on occasion. Overall snowpack was generally 2 to 4 feet. One few-dozen foot stretch of bare ground on the ridge itself, but full snowpack thereafter, all the way to (and under) the tower.
Snow was softening on the descent with the warmer temperatures. One could have in theory left snowshoes on their pack this morning, but with temperatures possibly not getting below freezing during the upcoming nights, snowshoes will probably be the most efficient method of travel here. If anyone goes out here without at least carrying snowshoes in the coming days, they should be liable for any rescue costs should something go wrong.
Beautiful spring weather with partly sunny skies, a slight breeze, and moderate temperatures. |
|
 | Name: |
rocket21 |
|
 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-04-07 |
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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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