| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Liberty, Mt. Flume, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Whitehouse Trail, Liberty Spring Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, April 23, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Liberty Springs Trailhead, a few cars when I arrived and none when I returned. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Spring Snow |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All the drainages are running, but were easy rock hops. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns (stepovers) on Liberty Springs Tr. One of them is a larger blowdown (~30" diameter) that cracked off its trunk and is laying across the trail, although one can squeeze through. That will likely require a professional crew to clear. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
didn't see any |
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 | Bugs: |
didn't see any |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Nice hiking day, mixed bag of conditions. Trails start out dry and free of snow at low elevation, then boney with snow concealing some ice/slush, then snow covered rocks with supportive snowpack. I barebooted until the tentsite and then put on spikes as I was sliding back too much. After quick Liberty summit I backtracked to the bottom of the last scramble and went down the bypass, which avoids the ledge on the trail proper as it descends off Liberty summit (another group took that route and I could see it was snow loaded and not worth the hassle - bypass is safer, with the loose snow up there now.) The col between summits had 6-8" of fresh powder atop a hidden monorail. Snow was loose and soft, further deteriorating from the snow melting/dripping off the trees. I switched to snowshoes for the out/back to Flume. On the descent, used spikes until it got too boney around 2600' (plus snow was balling on my spikes), then finally switched back to bareboot. Water crossings were all very manageable for the time being. Saw 9 other people, great chatting with a few groups. |
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 | Name: |
Eric H |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-04-23 |
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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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