| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Hale, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Zealand Road, Hale Brook Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, March 19, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Zealand Road closed. parked in the zealand winter lot. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Blue, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Slush, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow - Spring Snow |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
the crossing of hale brook was open and moving pretty quick, but just upstream there were a couple options for straight forward rock hops. the upper crossing was still snow bridged. small drainages down lower were either bridged or easy to step across. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
found a black pocket knife on hale brook trail. |
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 | Comments: |
by this afternoon the paved section of zealand rd. was mostly snow/ice free. i imagine it will be totally clear in the next day or two. once on the dirt it was clear to start then mostly snow/ice with patchy dirt to the trailhead. by the afternoon this was melting fast as well and won't be around much longer. hale brook trail had a thin coverage of soft ice and snow and its base which gradually increased becoming decidedly deeper once into the switchbacks. a pretty evident monorail forming much of the way. devitating off of it up high led to some pretty deep postholes even with snowshoes. a number of bare stretches in the lower portion of the trail and one section where a small streamlet has found its way onto the trail for a stretch and undermined the snow.
i barebooted to the hale brook trailhead then briefly used microspikes on hale brook trail before switching to snowshoes which i wore to the summit and back to the hale brook trailhead. then boots back to the winter lot. snowshoes pretty necessary up high to avoid going in deep.
first hike in shorts this year. very warm with barely a breeze the whole hike. great to be out. |
|
 | Name: |
bryan |
|
 | E-Mail: |
bryancuddihee@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-03-19 |
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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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