| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Pine Mountain (Gorham), NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Pine Mountain Trail, Chapel Rock Spur |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, February 19, 2022 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
At the gravel pit at the end of Promenade St. in Gorham. Contrary to what the WMG says, the parking area and the dirt portion of Promenade St. were both plowed, though they were sheets of ice. Enter the gravel pit area and look to your left, and you should see the trail sign. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Essentially none. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All signs were in place, though the sign for the viewpoint a few tenths below Chapel Rock is very easy to miss on the ascent (I missed it on the ascent but spotted it on the descent). That viewpoint is mostly grown in though. Chapel Rock Spur has a widowmaker in the lower half. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I suppose. |
|
 | Bugs: |
None. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
Nada. |
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|
 | Comments: |
Having read the horror stories (i.e. trail reports from yesterday), I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, however the trail was actually in quite good condition. Micro-spikes were the appropriate footwear from car to car. The lower part of the trail was actually pretty smooth (allowing for a quick descent down that part). The upper part was a bit bumpier, and required care in some places to stay on the monorail (yes, there actually was a slightly elevated monorail in some places). The trail has some yellow blazes, but following it could still require some care in the upper, open sections, particularly after a new snowfall. There were a few postholes in some places, but not too many. The snowmobile trail portion was somewhat icy, but above that there were only a few fairly small icy sections, and nothing was too difficult.
Chapel Rock Spur is also icy in parts, and has a major widowmaker as mentioned above. Several Horton Center buildings are visible from that junction - I didn't realize how close they were. The short section over to the junction with Pine Mountain Loop was pretty firm. At that junction, there were signs of some sort of vehicular use (maybe snowmobiles?) to the left toward the summit, and to the right toward the Horton Center. Pine Mountain Loop is unused and not broken out. Considering that, I decided to abandon my plan to do Ledge Trail as well, since I assumed it wouldn't be broken out either. Plus, the snow had started by this time, and there were no views.
Descent was straightforward. The whole thing took a little more than three hours. |
|
 | Name: |
GN |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2022-02-19 |
|
 | 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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