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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Hale, NH
Trails
Trails: Zealand Road, Hale Brook Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Friday, January 1, 2010
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Zealand parking had plenty of room. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Unpacked Powder 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: What there is is snowbridged. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Most of the manageable blowdows are gone although one still needs to be moved farther than I did, but there are a few big trees, some nuisance striped maple bendovers and a beech duck/crawl under. I wanted to get these, especially the beech, too but I didn't want to get behind the postholers. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: The mighty touch little dog picked up a lot of snowballs on his legs, but the musher's wax kept his paws in good shape. He even beat me down the trail. 
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: I've never started a 4K peak in winter so late but when I heard the forecast and knew Hale was still on the little mutt's winter 4K list I went for it. Zealand road a bit like walking in sand. The trail itself was a nice if unconsolidated trench thanks to the nice woman snowshoer I met coming down while we were going up. I ran into nice two guys at the top who had postholed up from the hut and they said that it had been rough going. I think they are sold on getting snowshoes now. It was fabulous snowshoeing down the trail, faster and easier than a summer descent, but with the storm coming and the postholers following me, the trail will likely be quite different from what I had. The top was in the clouds and snow but who cares when you're hiking in a Norman Rockwell type winter scene.  
Name
Name: Pepper and Me 
E-Mail
E-Mail: windriversjohn at gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2010-01-01 
Link
Link: https:// 
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