| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Crawford, Mt. Resolution, Stairs Mountain, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Davis Path, Crawford Spur, Mt. Parker Trail, Davis Trail, Stairs Spur |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 26, 2022 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking available this time of the year; lot was free of snow and ice. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
3 lower crossing on Davis Trail (after bridge) were easy: double log crossing for the first, 2nd & 3rd were rock hopable |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails were in great shape. As expected at this time of the year, there were a few blow-downs mostly easy to step over or get around, in fact, at least one was removed recently. The exception was the top of a pine tree that was laying length wise in the trail; getting around was easy since there was no snow on the side of the trail. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Cooper and Piper had a great time. Trails were easy for the pups, they do not post hole like their human companions. A few other pups heading up to Mt Crawford. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Spotted the 'first of the year for me' mosquito |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
N/A |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Somewhere I read that these peaks offered some of the best views of the Whites, and I must agree. Views mostly north to the southern presidentials, west and south were magnificent. Views were impressive despite the cloud cover; it is really something to see the contrast of white presesies under dark clouds seemingly close.
Trail started with snow and ice, that we bare-booted around for about the first 1/2 mile. Then it was spikes for the remainder of the hike. We left the snowshoes in the car based on reports from a few days ago; they were mostly not needed, and may have been a liability in some sections (more below).
About a dozen people on the trail to Mt Crawford, all in spikes. Monorail became loose snow, some with a slight icy crust, that changed to bare rock on the ledges, intermittent with snow covered patches heading to the summit. There was some water flowing down the trail on the descent much later in the day.
Once we turned towards Mt Resolution, the trail had seen far less traffic. Lucky for us, the recent sleet left a harder crust, and the rains may have helped pack the trail. Snowshoes may have helped prevent some minor post holing on the flat first section, but it was not bad. On the other hand, when traversing the side of Mt Resolution, travel on the side of the hill, at an angle over the slightly crusted trail, may have been trickier than the occasional post hole. The Parker Trail heading the the summit was more of the same, however the recent report of ice on the exposed rocks is no longer an issue, the sleet left a rough surface that was easily traversed. We met 3 other hikers who came from Mt Parker in snowshoes on this section of the trail, and they said travel from Mt Parker would have been impossible w/o snowshoes. After passing these guys, we saw no one else for the remainder of the day.
The one section of the trail where snowshoes may have been helpful was the section of the Davis trail heading to the Stairs Col. The trail was not recently traveled, and the going was difficult for 0.3 miles. Even snowshoes may have broken through the crust to the softer drifting below. On a few occasions we went through to our hips; returning was much easier since we just used our own packed holes... Once through this section the snow cover under the trees along the side of Stairs mountain was low and packed by rain, plus once again, traversing the side of the steep hill at an angle would have been difficult (if not dangerous) in snowshoes. Trail was narrow, with some rocks, or close trees, plus one section where we needed to grab trees to hoist ourselves up and down. Other than that, Trails were easy to follow, although not blazed.
Overall, this was a great hike through some of the areas less traveled, especially in winter, with fabulous views, highly recommend. |
|
 | Name: |
CookiesOnTop & Hikes with Piper |
|
 | E-Mail: |
schwarzmc at yahoo |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2022-03-27 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
