Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Hale, NH |
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| Trails: |
Zealand Road, Hale Brook Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Friday, January 1, 2010 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Zealand parking had plenty of room. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
What there is is snowbridged. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Bugs: |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| 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. |
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| Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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| E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2010-01-01 |
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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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