| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Lonesome Lake Hut, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Lonesome Lake Trail, Cascade Brook Trail, Fishin' Jimmy Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 29, 2022 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking area on the west side of I-93 at Lafayette Campground was plowed. Plenty of open spots - many people were probably scared away due to the storm. I-93 itself was well plowed and in good condition after the hike. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Drifts |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All bridged. Lonesome Lake was solidly iced over, but the strong winds had wiped out any tracks across the lake. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple blowdowns that were half buried by the snow. IMO no real reason to try to remove them until the snow melts. Evidence of recent blowdown clearing done at the top of the trail just before it descends slightly to Lonesome Lake. All signs were in place. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Trail conditions were mostly good for them, but it was cold and very windy. Don't forget that your dog's tolerance for wind might be different than yours. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Any bug that can survive the combination of single-degree temperatures and 30-mph winds deserves to bite me. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
Nada. |
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|
 | Comments: |
Fun hike up to Lonesome Lake despite the cold and very windy weather. On the way up, the trail was nicely packed out - micro-spikes probably would've been OK, but we wore snowshoes since I find they grip this trail better. Due to the blowing snow on the lake, we went around it rather than across it. Cascade Brook Trail over to the Hut was right in the direction of the winds, and so had a lot of snowdrifts - snowshoes definitely helped here since there was no way to see where the packed trail was underneath the drifts, meaning that postholing would've been very easy to do without snowshoes. Only a few other people at the hut.
On the way down, the winds were even more vigorous. Snowshoes definitely needed since the wind was wiping out the packed trail. Franconia Notch didn't really get that much new snow from the storm - it was mostly just wind. But with wind chills around -20, or maybe even colder, it was still serious weather and we didn't dilly-dally on the way down. |
|
 | Name: |
GN |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2022-01-30 |
|
 | Link: |
 https://www.meetup.com/young-redliners-hiking-group/ |
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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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