| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Flat Mountain Pond, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bennett Street Trail, Gleason Trail, Flat Mountain Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, January 10, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The last 1/2 mile of Bennett Street to the parking lot is unplowed. Snow was packed solid with some icy sections. A higher clearance vehicle is recommended. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Encountered a couple blowdowns on the RR section of Flat Mountain Pond trail before the Bennett Street Junction up to Sandwich- easy to navigate around. Lots of small tree branches and tree "litter" in the trail, but nothing that hindered travel. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The goal was to make it out to the Flat Mountain Ponds for some bluebird day views. Overall, the trail was hard packed with a light dusting of snow on top, so spikes were used the whole way. Many sections of trail were like an ice sheet, but this wasn't much of an issue. The water crossing on Gleason trail (just after it branches off Bennett Street Trail) was mostly frozen solid with some open water spots and moving water, but I was unable to gauge ice thickness as it varied greatly. I was able to shimmy across a downed tree and rock hop the rest of the way. Flat Mountain Pond trail from the Bennett Street junction to Sandwich Dome hadn't seen recent travel. There was a solid snowshoe track under about an inch of powder, with a single coyote track that followed the trail most of the way. As I got about a 1/2 mile from the horseshoe turn, there were a few inches of powder on trail with some snow drifts here and there about 6 inches deep. The water crossings were a combination of solid and open, fast moving water. Some areas seemed thick while others had about an inch of softer ice/snow on top that cracked under weight.
The first water crossing on the Flat Mountain Pond Trail was just after the Bennett Street Trail junction up to Sandwich Dome- Lots of open and rushing water at this spot. It took me a bit, but I was able to cross safely just upstream. The second water crossing was about a mile further up Flat Mountain Pond trail (about 2100'). The trail came to a large and open flooded area. Everything at this spot seemed frozen solid with no open water visible and I was able to stick to the edge for most of this crossing. The third crossing was about 1/10th further up the trail. This stream was frozen solid, no open water, and I crossed easily. The fourth crossing was right at the horseshoe turn of the trail and that's where it got tricky. If you reference Caltopo, the trail cuts right through the middle of a swamp which is the start of Pond Brook. The ice was a combination of slushy, solid white, and clear. There were a few big ice sheets pushed up onto the bank and by the looks of the swamp grass under the ice, it appeared that some heavy flooding and rushing water occurred here just before it froze over. I was unable to locate the trail on the other side of the swamp/brook, and I didn’t trust the ice so I wasn't willing to try and venture across. I attempted to find another route, but that didn't pan out. At this point, I decided to turn back and try again another time.
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 | Name: |
Hikergirl88 |
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 | E-Mail: |
bdaltonjette@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-01-13 |
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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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