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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Moriah, NH
Trails
Trails: Stony Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Monday, January 2, 2023
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: At street level, the snow isn't much of anything right now -- historically, this is what we'd see around early December. (Yay global warming!) There are a couple of persistent puddles in the lot which will ice-over if it's that cold, but otherwise, the parking area at the trailhead is clear, right down to the dirt.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Postholes 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: The first crossing of Stony Brook is a bit swollen at the moment. Be forewarned. It was doable when I was there, but there is rain in the forecast for the next couple days, and the mountain is shedding a lot of meltwater. One might be better off heading up to Bangor Road, and taking the Carter-Moriah trail until things level out again.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: If there's a couple of feet of snow this season, maybe 2-3 blowdowns might become crawl-unders. Kindly, someone addressed this by limbing those trees appropriately, so passing under, you shouldn't get snagged on anything. I didn't do much more than duck a little. Overall, though, the trail is in good shape from a maintenance perspective. Taking the logging road out to the residential street on the way back, there's a single blow-down that is a walk-around, but otherwise, that stretch is entirely uneventful.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: As far as Rover goes, the trail doesn't pose much problem. I saw one solitary pup, but she was living her best life.  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: The trail in the lower stretches is in OK shape. A lot of people have bare-booted it, but the snow is so thin that postholes aren't a problem. Heck, above the second "big" crossing of Stony Brook (the one that passes over a ledge) there were moose tracks, and they didn't make much of a mess of things. It's not perfect by any stretch, but overall, the snow did smooth out a lot of the lumps and bumps. Above the first crossing, anytime you traversed a drainage, it was a simple hop or so. Nothing major. Besides that, the grades are mostly moderate. I wouldn't sweat this one, at least until you hit the ridge. On a sunny day, you'll have fun.

On the ridge, it's a much different story than it was getting there. I don't know what possesses someone to endure knee deep postholing for a mile and a half, but that seemed to be someone's idea of a good time. It's a moonscape up there, and it'll slow you down mercilessly. As I found it, everything was frozen pretty solid, so you can't even kick those postholes back down to a more rational state. Move carefully, because without any warning, you could easily turn an ankle, which will ruin your outing in a hot minute. I did this same hike a couple years ago, in warmer weather, and got back to the car an hour earlier. I blame the postholes in their entirety for slowing me down by an entire hour. It was that bad.

Folks, now is the time to put your micro spikes back in their little baggy, shove them down into the bottom of your pack, and use your snowshoes for the rest of the season. We'll all enjoy sidewalk-smooth trails from now until at least the end of March if everyone gets with the program. Leave No Trace doesn't just mean pick up your litter. It means being considerate of your fellow hiker, and leaving the trail in at least as good shape as you found it.

Photos and a more complete report are on my blog, as always. Share and enjoy!  
Name
Name: Protean Wanderer 
E-Mail
E-Mail: hiker@proteanwanderer.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2023-01-03 
Link
Link: https://www.proteanwanderer.com/2023/01/03/trip-report-a-moonscape-on-moriah/ 
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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