| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Square Ledge, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Oliverian Brook Trail, Square Ledge Trail, Square Ledge Branch |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, December 14, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room in the parking lot. No ice or problem snow. Saw several Xmass tree draggings. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
First large crossing had a thin film of water flowing over variable ice with some openings on our way in. I was able to walk across it without breaking in. On the way back the flow had hardened, and the gaps were smaller. The second crossing was low but to avoid wet boots I went upstream about 60' and crossed on some downed stems. That was easy in spikes; getting to them just a bit of a pain. Pepper unfortunately ran back to the trail and waded across. The other crossings were rock hops made much easier by poles and spikes. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Occasional blowdowns, most were step overs, a few duckunders and step on and overs, and one crawl under on Square Ledge where a couple of new stems fell along with a larger somewhat recent but branch trimmed stem. Square Ledge had a few spots in need of brushing. The trails are easy to follow and have very little rocky and/or eroding sections; they are nice on the feet. All signs in place and an arrow is helpful. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Pepper had an easy and fun day, but I screwed up and let him get his paws soaked a couple of times. They had been treated with Vaseline, however, and didn't ice up badly which surprised me a bit. He wore a light sweater for the cold. The look on his face as I went up towards Square Ledge towards the great rock cliffs was priceless. I too had thought the trail would turn and ascend from the south, but it instead went right up to and by the ledge and worked just fine; it just wasn't obvious this would work as we started. As noted the streams are still open in places and so wet feet are a possibility. 6-8" of powder will most likely just hide the thin ice/holes and slow the ice building, so one might want to probe before letting pooch go across. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
With a late start this seemed like a good hike for a cold day, and it was. The slopes are mostly modest, the trails are mostly even surfaced, the woods shield what little wind there was, and there's some nice views from Square Ledge itself. There was 2" of untrodden powder snow, and sometimes on the flats it felt a bit like sand hiking, but going down the Square Ledge Branch was so much fun in it. We did see that one other had hiked the Passaconaway cut-off and others had hiked up the Kelley trail and then gone over to Paugus. I used microspikes after awhile, but only benefitted from them on stream crossings, going up Square Ledge near the top and on Square Ledge near to the Cut off trail, which had the only iciness of the whole hike. The woods were beautiful, and the solitude mixed with the crisp cold, little wind and some sun made the day just perfect. Stopping to visit at the Mountain Wanderer is always a nice way to break up the drive home. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-12-14 |
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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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