| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Moosilauke, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Glencliff Trail, Carriage Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, May 2, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lot is clear. Some stuff on the kiosk -- a couple gloves, a small dog's harness. Aside from that, it's pretty flat and straight-forward. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Spring Snow, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There's a couple sections of the Glencliff trail where water is draining right down the middle of the trail. This typically goes on for a dozen or so yards before heading off the side. Gore-Tex boots will be your friend, or your feet will be footsicles by the time you get to the summit. The rest of the drainages that have the good sense to quickly traverse the trail are one-hop wonders, or have plentiful stepping stones where your soles might get wet, but never your ankles. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail is overall in good shape. There are blow-downs. Most of them will need addressing at a time to be determined -- over head-height for most people, or a simple step-around or step-over, but nothing remained behind me that could get in someone's way in a meaningful sense. There were a couple I took care of. One had the temerity to fall along the trail, the other across it. Let me just say that a Silky Gomboy saw is reasonably lightweight, and that Japanese steel sings its merry way through damn near anything in very short order. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I didn't even see a human, let alone its best friend. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Wow, this was a long day, in terms of what the weather threw at me. Certainly Type II fun. Given that the Kanc was supposedly shut down due to flooding, I re-drew my plans for the week, and decided a "quick jaunt" up Moosilauke would do. Wow, the wind positively *howled* up top, turning the snow into merciless heat-seeking daggers. (It was rain until around 4,000 feet.) I'd been attracted by a previous NETC report of early wildflowers. I think most of them are still in the "we're on our way" stage, but I did spot a couple yellow violets that had bloomed, and were looking quite nice. Plenty of trilliums are coming, so stay tuned. By mid-month, they should be making a lovely show.
Spikes were plenty. I can't imagine anyone wanting snowshoes at this point, even for the heel elevators. Spikes went on at about 3,500 feet. Monorail was nice and stable -- I left one pothole behind, near the top. Some slush where the ridge transitions back into uphill travel, but nothing major. There was some accumulating snow this afternoon, but I doubt it'll amount to much -- certainly nothing that will last until the weekend. That said, the summit was coated in the white stuff to a depth of at least a couple inches.
Photos and a more detailed write-up are 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: |
2023-05-02 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.proteanwanderer.com/2023/05/03/trip-report-snow-ice-and-spring-on-moosilauke/ |
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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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