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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Fool Killer, NH
Trails
Trails: Pine Bend Brook Trail, bushwhack, Sabbaday Brook Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, March 27, 2022
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Parked at Pine Bend turnout at 7:30am, first ones there. 2 other cars there when we returned mid afternoon. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: A bunch of crossings on the way up Pine Bend, all trivial or rock hoppable. Still a few (currently) reliable snow bridges like above 2500'. Plenty of crossings on Sabbaday brook but nothing difficult until the set of three big ones near the bottom. Mostly hoppable but we had to put our feet in (or slipped) on all those. Gaiters did their job and it was warm so we didn't have to drive for half an hour in them just to get them thawed out enough you could take them off. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Pine Bend Brook was clean. Sabbaday had a blowdown or two but was in great shape overall. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: No dogs seen or heard from 
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Was concerned about getting soaked on Sabbaday Brook Trail before we even started the whack, so opted for a longer route in from Scaur Ridge. Open woods almost throughout. One small section we had to fight through at the beginning had us worried, but it opened out into almost herd paths down into a col and then also back up Fool Killer. Longer whack but much _much_ easier than the quite steep route from Sabbaday Brook by which we descended. Walked along the Fool Killer ridge, also open woods, for a bit but were under time constraints so we did not quite get to Fool Killer B.

I have to say Sabbaday Brook has never been a favorite of mine, what with the rocky terrain, bazillion crossings and sparse blazes, but it was in pretty darned good shape today. If it were colder it would have been solid packed powder, but it was >freezing so it was softening up a bit. Other than the (bazillion) stream crossings you could trot right down in snowshoes, though watch for collapsing snow bridges of which there are plenty and even more already dead. Only problem was up to about 3.5mi from the trailhead some arsehole barebooted in and did their level best to wreck the trail. Fortunately there was only one of them so the damage is limited to one set of tracks up and one back. Rolled my ankle in a collapsing snow bridge I didn't see and kept retweaking the rest of the way down it in the postholes and footsteps so dude I freaking hate you. Be kind, bring shoes.

The falls at the bottom of the trail were great today and the spigot is full on. Kinda worth the jaunt up there if you happen to be driving by.  
Name
Name: Muench, Nora 
E-Mail
E-Mail: erik.coder@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2022-03-27 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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