| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Liberty, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Whitehouse Trail, Liberty Spring Trail, Flume Slide Trail, bushwhack, Franconia Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, June 5, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
For this trip, I bushwhacked Mt. Liberty via its south ridge, stopping at a possible slide path and a talus slope along the way to the summit.
I left the Flume Slide Trail at 2300 ft. and bushwhacked north through deciduous forest, crossing a number of old logging roads; at around 3000 ft., I hit the SW extension of the ridge, where the forest transitioned to mostly conifers. Woods were moderately open until the 3700 ft. level. My intention was to down-climb to a talus field at 3500 ft. on the eastern side of the main ridge, but I was surprised (and lucky) to find what looks like an old slide path (revegetated) just above the talus. Aerial photos from 1964 confirm that this was a slide-like path at the time, but it’s unclear if it was a proper slide, a ledge, or just an upper extension of the talus. In any case, this opening gave me an incredible view towards the Flume Slides.
Continuing up the ridge, woods were very tight with many blowdowns. I contemplated aborting the trip on two occasions, but I had all of my winter gear with me (sans snowshoes), and I felt pretty good about continuing up. The last 0.4 miles took about 45 minutes to navigate. Instead of following the ridge line, which I knew had many ledges and outcroppings, I stayed just below the ridge on the eastern side. Finally, I reached the large talus field just south of the summit; from here it was a short scramble up to the summit ledges. For the descent, I found the Liberty Spring Trail to be very mellow and well-maintained; I passed only three other hikers who were on their way up this trail. |
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 | Name: |
timbercamp |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-06-05 |
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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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