| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Indian Pond Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Indian Pond Rd to the north is paved and snow/ice free. Piermont Heights Rd is not paved and was a bit soft. Partway up, there was some snow/ice still lingering on the road but not in the tire tracks so I continued. At 1300ft the snow/ice covered the road more completely so I pulled in to the side of the road and parked just a tenth or two of a mile north of the northernmost pond a bit shy of the HOL. I took my time going out Piermont Heights Rd. Because I was then headed to Quinttown, my GPS took me down the southern part of Indian Pond Rd. This southern part of the road is not paved and is rather rough. It was also softer than Piermont Heights Rd. My FWD small SUV barely made it. I wouldn’t recommend this road in current conditions unless you’ve got at least mid-clearance (8in or so?) and AWD. When it’s dry, FWD vehicles with decent clearance should do okay so long as they’ve got some momentum up the hills. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Spring Snow |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Some small drainages - nothing of concern even with high water. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
N/A |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Day 142, Peak 122. 1st hike of the day. Another sunny and windy spring day!
Months ago, I figured I’d tackle this peak from Bear Tree Rd via the southern ridge but upon taking another look, it looked like a slightly shorter hike with a smidge less elevation gain from the HOL on Piermont Heights Rd so decided to tackle it that way instead. Given that I didn’t feel safe making it in my car to the HOL though and that there was still snow on this NW facing slope of the mountain, it may have been easier via the southern ridge.
From my car, I took a bearing, crossed the drainage the road follows, and hopped into the woods heading S/SW in open woods. Grades were easy-moderate for the first few hundred vertical feet, then steep the rest of the way to the ridge. More than half the ground was covered in snow from the start and partway up the coverage became nearly universal. The coverage was of minimal depth though (usually less than 1/2ft) and was frozen so that you didn’t normally sink into it more than an inch at most. I hit the ridge a few hundred feet north of the highpoint and walked the ridge SE to the highpoint Z the snow was often a bit deeper here, perhaps coming to just over a foot in depth at its deepest, usually closer to 1/2ft. You still generally stayed on top of it, not sinking in or shining it minimally, but the occasional posthole also happened along the ridge. That said, I don’t think it’s worth carrying snowshoes and while I had spikes, I didn’t feel any need to use them.
I found the highpoint easily enough, signed in, and took a bearing back to my car realizing that the days are gone when I’d be able to follow my tracks back to my car through the snow. A small price to pay for the warmth of sunshine and higher temps :) I followed roughly the same line back down though. Other reports from this side of the mountain mentionna clear cut: I (unintentionally) stayed just east of it on my ascent and descent. I noted it to my left on my way down.
The hike was about 1.75mi with 700ft of gain taking me 1hr15min to complete. 223 more days and 243 more peaks to go… |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-03-24 |
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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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