| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Tom, Mt. Field, Mt. Willey, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Willey Range Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, December 26, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of roadside parking available. $10 Highland center parking if you’re feeling fancy. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
At first glance, the crossing at the beginning looked sketchy, but after looking around for alternatives I realized the very young ice bridge/ice hop forming was totally adequate to cross with spikes. With warm up later this week I don’t know if that report will stand. The other crossings were no problem. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple blowdowns on A-Z but not much elsewhere (other than bothersome sticks that will catch on snowshoes and spikes to make you fall on your face) and nothing at all on WRT between Field and Willey (I know, crazy) |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Did not see any dogs today. I would urge caution with the water crossings. Wet doggie feet can lead to issues in the winter, and the bridge is not well formed at either “major” crossing. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Overall, conditions were great. A-Z to Tom and WRT between Tom & Field are pretty choppy, but we’ve seen worse. WRT between Field and Willey hadn’t been touched in a couple days (maybe since Thursday?), which made it sublime for snowshoeing, floating on the crust with minimal new powder/drifts. Someone had booted up from the Ethan Pond side to Willey summit and looked like they postholed a good bit, tracks were not fresh. See note above about the water crossings.
I started in Hillsounds, switched to snowshoes at the Avalon junction and was glad for the added traction. Went to Tom first and looped from there. Switched back to spikes before the lower water crossing going back. Most others were in spikes (one other snowshoer) and TODAY it honestly didn’t seem to matter other than for personal traction preferences. Not much ice to speak of (seriously - not even below Avalon spur). Usually not a fan of sleds, BUT today they did a great job of widening and smoothing the trail out, which was appreciated.
This report comes with the strong recommendation to wear snowshoes as trail conditions soften in warmer temps this week. I suspect we’re still being supported somewhat by the frozen snow-rain-freeze layer of “Elliot”, and bare boots may start actually punching through instead of just churning the top layer. Plus, the trenches are quite narrow in spots and could use some love flattening out- looks like a while til we get more snow. |
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 | Name: |
woodsyjess |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-12-26 |
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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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