| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Galehead Mountain, South Twin Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Beaver Brook XC ski trail, Gale River Road, Gale River Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail, Frost Trail, Twinway |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, December 26, 2011 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Gale River Road closed (not yet being used by snowmobiles). Parked at Beaver Brook XC ski lot. Signs directing hikers to campsite 3/Gale River Road have not yet been posted. Basically bear right at every junction. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Ice - Blue, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All rock hoppable or partially icebridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One duck under, one step over, on Gale River Trail (before reroute) - probably 6" in diameter each. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Very little snow in the lower elevations. 1-2" of powder pretty much all the way to the viewpoint on Gale River Trail (was able to bareboot to there without any issues). Some blue ice lurking underneath, but didn't have any issues.
Put on Microspikes for the actual climb. Maybe 1-2" of frozen base (frozen granular or ice) with 2-3" of powder on top. Similar for Garfield Ridge Trail. I found both to be too boney for my liking to snowshoe, but others were able to without issues.
Frost Trail to Galehead is ready for snowshoes. I Microspiked it (mea culpa), but others snowshoed it later in the day. Similar to Garfield Ridge in the higher elevations, but the lower elevations had upwards of a foot of powder drifted in.
Found Twinway too boney to snowshoe as well. About 3-6" of powder on top of frozen granular and blue ice. Was able to make it up to South Twin and back with care with Microspikes.
Considered going to North Twin, but felt the North Twin Spur would probably warrant snowshoes. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21 at franklinwebpublishing dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2011-12-26 |
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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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