| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Anderson, Mt. Lowell, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Notchland Trail, Nancy Brook Connector, Nancy Pond Trail, bushwhack, logging roads, Signal Ridge Trail, Sawyer River Road |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 17, 2015 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
|
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nancy Brook Connector crossing a little tricky due to Irene blowout. Other water crossings were frozen over and not much of an issue. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Somehow missed the Nancy Pond Trail reroute on the way up (saw where it rejoined)...old trail very dangerous due to washout...could probably use some markings and obscuring of old trail to stop use (looks like someone else had missed it before the ice storm). |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
|
|
 | Bugs: |
|
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Cold start, with temperatures in the double digits below zero. Obtained permission from Notchland Inn to use their private trail to access the Nancy Pond Trail. A little less vertical, but similar length. Not recently used, but now broken out. Snowpack down here was about a foot with a few inches of powder on top.
Once on the Nancy Pond Trail, we were able to take advantage of our previous tracks up to the abandoned Bemis trail turnoff. Above there, no use since around the ice storm, but relatively smooth sailing with a few inches of snow on top of the crust (increasing to maybe 6" of powder, on top of a few feet of snowpack).
We took advantage of Nancy Pond to cut off a little bit of the trail (blowdowns and obscure areas). Once at Little Norcross Pond, we cut across the pond, then waded through thick spruce for awhile.
Upon picking up the eastern ridge of Anderson, we had generally good going. With the exception of a few short spruce areas (usually in slight cols), the woods were generally open with current snowpack of about 3 feet. Grades weren't bad and we didn't even have to deal with any thickness to get to the summit.
Fantastic clear views from the summit with its unique Pemi perspective.
We then retraced our tracks for a little bit, then slabbed toward the col, hitting some steep terrain and some pockets of spruce. Not nearly as bad as a direct line from the col to Anderson (my recollection of that was thick spruce and cliffbands).
Slower going coming out of the col toward Lowell, pushing through lots of stick forest. Excellent views from the scrub area on Lowell as well, though the skies were starting to cloud a bit.
A bit tricky descending Lowell, as we hit lots of steeps and cliffbands on the south and east sides. We eventually hugged the west to get off the cone, then had okay woods for a little while on the ridge, then hit alternating junk and pockets of open (with plenty of moose sign). We start to favor the Duck Pond drainage a bit, while trying to not drop too far into it. Eventually hit good woods later on the old logging roads (the last one, which eventually crosses Signal Ridge Trail, is borderline useless due to being spruce filled, whilst either side of it is open woods).
Signal Ridge Trail from there out was well packed and good snowshoeing. Sawyer River Road was of course well packed down by snowmobiles (though we encountered none after 4:30). |
|
 | Name: |
rocket21 |
|
 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2015-01-17 |
|
 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
|
|
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. |
|
