| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Starr King, Mt. Waumbek, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Starr King Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 16, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Starr-King road is dry, but a spot near the trailhead needs to be graded. Cars with low clearance might have issues. Be forewarned. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None in the normal sense, however, the mountain is draining a lot of excess water. Above the well, things get good and soggy for quite a bit. In several sections, you're not so much crossing a drainage, but walking up one. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Big shout out to the Randolph Mountain Club for their tireless work. The trail is its usual fine self. There was only one blow-down that I had to slow down to cross, and even there, it wasn't much of anything at all. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
A couple wonderful Jack Russels, and a sublime pittie. All out in their natural habitat living their best lives. |
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 | Bugs: |
Yes, but not terribly so. That said, it's obvious that they've woken up again, and they're out there. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
After last week's suffer-fest on Adams (that delightful mix of rocks, ice, and snow that ensures no traction is the right traction for more than about 90 seconds at a time) today's outing on Waumbek was a very welcome breath of fresh, mountain air. Zero postholes (at least that I can recall) and a wonderfully consolidated monorail that began quite abruptly at almost exactly 3,000 feet, carrying on uninterrupted right up to the summit. Soft ice for the first half, and densely packed snow for the second, I never once wanted for better footing. Especially with the unseasonably warm temps (shorts and tee-shirt!) it was a great day to be in the mountains.
(In fairness to Adams, the view from the summit was amazing last week. It hurt a lot getting to and from, but the juice was very much worth the squeeze.)
Photos and a more detailed report can be found on my blog, as always. Share and enjoy! |
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 | Name: |
Protean Wanderer |
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 | E-Mail: |
hiker@proteanwanderer.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-04-16 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.proteanwanderer.com/2023/04/17/waking-up-walking-up-waumbek/ |
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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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