| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Paugus (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bolles Trail, Beeline Cutoff, Beeline, Old Paugus Trail, Whitin Brook Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 8, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked roadside where the plow stops on Paugus road and walked in, but the road to the Liberty trailhead lot is passable with AWD and a little ground clearace. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Main crossing of Whitin Brook and Paugus Brook are not bridged. Rocks are ice covered with snow on top of the ice. We crossed upstream away from the trail crossing to find safer options. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Nothing out of the ordinary - a few passable downed trees. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We needed to cover the Paugus branch of the Beeline trail and were undecided about summiting Paugus so we figured we'd wait until the trail junction of Beeline and Old Paugus to see how we felt. Headed out from the car around 0715 with temps around 09F and light winds. Around 2 inches fresh snow on all the trails at all elevations from Friday.
Bolles trail had seen just a couple booters since the storm in December with some packed snow beneath the boot tracks and a single snowmobile track. Bolles showed no evidence of recent use north of the junction with Beeline Cutoff. We followed those two boot tracks up Beeline Cutoff and they continued west up the Beeline trail. We were happy to follow them even if they wandered off trail a little since it was difficult to follow the trail until the steep section (wilderness, no blazes). Once on the steeps the trail was obvious up the drainage.
We stopped for some hot tea and a snack at the top of Beeline, got chilled even though we layered up, and decided to bail and not go up the last 600 feet to summit South Paugus. We carried shoes but wore spikes the whole way. Shoes would have been best (and would have improved trail conditions) but it was too cold to stop and switch once we started. Spikes were really only required in the steep sections of Beeline and coming down the short ravine section of Old Paugus as there was not a lot of ice under the snow. Met only two other hikers on the loop, one of whom was Darcy Hobgood - the 16th person to officially hike every trail in the Whites. After we bowed low and professed our unworthiness we had a nice chat. Took a bit longer than we were expecting due to the consternation around the crossings but otherwise a nice morning in the woods. |
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 | Name: |
notch and pumba |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-01-09 |
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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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