| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Whiteface, Mt. Passaconaway, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Blueberry Ledge Trail, Rollins Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 28, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The access road, parking and road to trails plowed but icy in the morning, some small sections sanded on the hike out. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rock step on upper Dicey; main crossing down low most hikers appeared to just rock hop but Pepper and I went across the white birch blowdown slowly clearing the crust as we went, the MSR's grabbed nicely to the trunk but poles used for balance. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Some duckunders and step overs on Rollins. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Easy and fun day for Pepper, the crust allowed him to go almost anywhere. He iced up a bit on the legs when we broke trail and his buddy was late in getting his sweater on him. The Whiteface ledges can be daunting for some dogs, but Pepper and another dog Madison (not Eric's) had no problems, the crusty snow made it easy for them. There's some open drainages on Dicey's Mill but the only water he drank was what I offered him. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I got a late start so we had the trails all to ourselves until we neared the ledges. Since those ahead of us booted, I used Hillsounds to Whiteface's peak. We passed the others at the ledges and it was lucky, giving us fresh crusted over snow to work with. Pepper shot right up while my Hillsounds were just enough. My guess is after many other hikers the ice on rock has been exposed or covered with loose snow so some sort of traction would remain essential. I put snowshoes on at the peak and used them for the rest of the hike. They weren't essential but I think they were more efficient for me, and best for the trail.
Rollins had some pockets of blown in snow. but most of it was crust or thinner crust over loose snow. Dicey had lots of hard crust and thin crust over loose snow. Down low it had softened by afternoon. We were lucky to meet on Rollins those two (sometimes 3) intrepid ladies, Trish and Alex, who were going over to Whiteface from Passaconaway, then likely back over Rollins before going down to avoid the ledges. They are inspiring; Pepper and I picked our pace up after we left them. They left the trail up to Passaconaway in perfect condition for an ascent in snowshoes, easier than it is in summer. Some barebooters were on it after me, so it will merely be nice tomorrow. All the trails should be in good shape tomorrow. What a nice day to be on the trails. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-01-28 |
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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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