| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Flat Mountain (South), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bennett Street Loop, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, January 21, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The roads in this area we’re well plowed and sanded. One larger hill on Bennett Street Loop where my FWD car without snow tires struggled a bit. AWD cars would be totally fine. If just FWD like mine, just make sure you’ve got enough momentum in this one spot. I parked where the plowing stopped. Wide, flat area with room for several cars. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Crossing back and forth along the drainage was no problem at all. It was mostly frozen over. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
N/A |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure, if you trust them bushwhacking. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Day 82, Peak 71. A cold, sunny, and windless day made for decent hiking. I started up at 9:45am, letting it warm up a bit. I followed the continuation of the now unplowed Bennett St Loop for about 0.1mi before starting my whack. I almost immediately crossed a drainage when I started along the road but I figured it was a little “sub-drainage†and not the one I wanted. Pretty sure I was wrong. Little harm done though, as I started my whack and made my way to the drainage, then followed it up to the col between a small 1750-1800ft knob and the SW ridge of Flat Mtn South. Open hardwoods here. Crossed from one side of the drainage to the other when things got rough. The grades were very gentle at first but of course became steeper as you neared the col and there were some genuinely steep pitches.
Just over 0.5mi from the road (gaining just over 400ft) and just before the col, I turned right (north) to pick up the SW ridge. Nice hardwood forest at first, but then it transitioned into more softwoods though they weren’t too tight. The ridge had some much steeper pitches than I would’ve guessed and didn’t make for terribly fast going. Some little ledges mixed in. Some views through the trees toward Young Mtn. Higher up (above 2200ft?) I fought my way through some fir waves. Small and nothing bad but thicker than I thought this whack would be. I think if you stick to the SE side of the ridge, there’s more hardwoods.
Just above 2600ft, I ran into another set of snowshoe tracks! I was quite happy to no longer be trail-breaking :) Furthermore, there was only a single set of them, so I figured that it was likely someone who hadn’t come down yet and was just ahead of me. Sure enough, when I reach the summit area, I run into Amy! We checked out the highpoint together (no bottle, true highpoint likely not in open area with views, but in wooded spot just north outside of the highest contour on Gaia) and made our way back. She’d parked in the same place I did but took a much more direct line instead of following the drainage and SW ridge. Her route, while steeper, wasn’t as steep as I thought and was quite efficient. Open woods the whole way, even more so than mine. You could see where she skirted around some boulders and such but it all worked well and made for a fast trip down.
Snowshoes we’re on my feet the entire day. Still not much snow down low but enough to make snowshoes doable luckily. Trail breaking was a workout for sure, but the powder wasn’t deep enough to make it terribly strenuous. The hike was at least 3.5mi with 1750ft of gain and took me just over 3.5hrs. Probably longer had I descended in my own tracks. Note also that Amy started about a half hour after me but made it to the summit before me. Her route probably cuts off a half mile or so in each direction. 283 more days and 294 more peaks to go… |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-01-25 |
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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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