| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mountain, Mt. Liberty, Mt. Flume, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Liberty Springs Trail, herd path, Franconia Notch Recreation Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, July 20, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I got a spot in the Old Bridle Path/Falling Waters lot at 6:30am. Already a couple dozen cars there maybe but still plenty of room. Room again when I returned shortly before 2pm. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I was a little worried that the brook crossing on Liberty Springs Trail would be a wade still but it was rock hopable. There were other smaller streams you crossed in the vicinity of it not mentioned in the guidebook. No other water crossings. Water had gone down considerably between Monday and Tuesday. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Old Bridle Path is blazed in yellow, Franconia Ridge Trail is blazed in white between Lafayette and Liberty Springs Trail as it coincides with the AT, and then in blue I believe between Liberty Springs Trail and Flume as it’s not part of the AT. I don’t recall the blaze of Greenleaf Trail. I don’t think any of them are very well blazed but all are easy to follow and well trodden. Even while in cloud, the tread way is super obvious on the ridge between Lafayette and Little Haystack. Obviously the herd path between Liberty Springs Trail and the bike path is not marked but is easy to follow. No blowdowns that I recall. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I’m sure I saw some. A long hike for some dogs but not too much scrambling. Make sure you’ve got enough water. |
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 | Bugs: |
Not bad. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
I picked up a couple pieces of trash. I thought this balanced out my karma of losing a food wrapper somewhere but I later found that it had never fallen! |
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 | Comments: |
Unfortunately I’m writing this report several days after the hike so my memory is a bit foggy. These were my 14th-17th grid peaks for the month out of 26 needed. I also gridded out Mount Lafayette. My first 4000 footer way back in August 2014 before going off to college :)
I did an out-and-back to Flume, ascending Lafayette and descending Liberty. I walked back to my car on the Franconia Notch Recreation Path (bike path) which is 2.4mi between Liberty Springs Trail and Lafayette Place. I took the herd path down from Liberty to the bike path which cuts off some mileage though. The path was easy to follow but not marked. It’s not hard to find if you’re descending. It’s blocked by some debris to make sure people don’t unintentionally go down it though )I believe the trail turns left there if descending).
My main reason in writing this report is to report on the amazing change in conditions between what I saw Monday on Cannon (see trip report: lots of standing and running water; to the point where it was a bit treacherous) to today. The trails were still a bit wet especially in the morning and there was still some wet rock of course but very little standing/running water. It’s amazing how quickly things drain and conditions can once again be nice! There was still plenty of mud with some water on the ridge but the only place with real running water was on Liberty Springs Trail in one section and it was pretty minimal.
Everything was socked in and in the clouds until I got past Lincoln. Things were opening up as I headed toward Little Haystack where I had a view. I could see the sun through the clouds at times trying to break through. It was cool to see the transition. Clouds seemed to descend again on the ridge later in the morning when I was looking on from Liberty and Flume. The wind was also a bit stronger than I thought it would be as I went up the ridge and I even wore gloves, and my rain jacket/hard shell for a time and a neck gaiter that I used around the top of my head to keep my ears warm lol.
I met a lot of people Tuesday which was nice. Quite surprisingly, I met the vast majority of them on the ridge between Little Haystack and Liberty Springs Trail. I’ve never seen so many people on that section of trail. Just one group after another. At one point I think I saw 3-4 groups pass me going the other direction all within 5mina. Some people starting a Pemi Loop, some thru hiking, others whom I did not ask. Great to meet Monster, Dillinger (John), and Birdman (Adi) among several others. The real treat was when I ran into them on the Presidentials two days later! Congratulations to you all and best of luck! |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-07-25 |
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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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