| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Pierce, Mt. Eisenhower, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Saco Lake Trail, Crawford Path, Webster Cliff Trail, Eisenhower Loop, Edmands Path, Mt. Clinton Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 22, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
parked at Saco Lake trailhead. by our 9am start, folks needed to park on the road |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
crossing of Abenaki Brook on Edmands Path frozen |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a few that were having a blast in the powder |
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 | Bugs: |
none |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
WEATHER: Probably the best winter hiking day I've seen in years. Cold start, negative single digits I think (Mt Washington was experiencing the warmest weather in the state that morning) but it gradually rose to the mid teens throughout the day. Full sun and blue sky! Once we got above treeline just before Pierce, the sun and complete lack of wind made for a very enjoyable experience. You could feel the warmth emanating from any dark colored clothing and gear. I truly hope everyone gets to experience one of those days!!
TRAIL CONDITIONS: I (Ro) wore snowshoes off and on throughout the day, otherwise wore spikes. Rem wore spikes all day. The trail is not 100% packed in my opinion on Crawford up to Pierce, and there were many places where I could tell my snowshoeing was doing some good to the trail. Ultimately, until we get more snow, microspikes would be a fine option if you're planning to hit Pierce. From Pierce to Eisenhower, there were some more drifts and soft spots where snowshoes really helped. Once we summitted Eisenhower, we decided to take Edmands Path down and do the Mt. Clinton roadwalk back to the car. I was breaking trail on the upper .25 mile of Edmands, sometimes falling into waist-deep snow. Another group of 2 was snowshoeing behind us, and we crossed paths (around .25 miles into our descent) with a party of 2 coming up Edmands, so in total, I can say 6 people have worked on breaking out this trail in some way. It could use a lot more help, especially in the upper section. The soft, powdery descent was really lovely on the legs. The Mt. Clinton roadwalk was an easy trudge; snowmobiles have packed down the snow so I switched to spikes here.
MILEAGE/TIME: somewhere between 10.6 - 11.2 miles depending on which Garmin you want to go with. We started around 9:30am and were done right around 4pm. 6:40 total time, 5:00 moving time. What a gift from nature: to be able to take a break at the summit in winter, and stay comfortable! |
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 | Name: |
Ro & Remi |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-01-23 |
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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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