| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Chocorua, Middle Sister, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Piper Trail, Weetamoo Trail, Hammond Trail, Liberty Trail, Middle Sister Trail, Carter Ledge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, May 8, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Trail road turnoff well-marked. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All manageable with rock-hopping and waterproof boots. A couple near the top had the last remnants of decaying snow bridges, all the ones below about 2500 feet are clear. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Several blowdowns. Mostly small duck-unders or step-overs. A real gnarly one dropped across the Hammond trail right near its junction with the Liberty trail (if memory serves), but there's an easy bushwhack around it. Standing water in some places, but not too much of a bother. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
If your dog can scale steep ledges near the top, then there's no problem. |
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 | Bugs: |
Not too much of a nuisance yet, but they're coming... |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Lost a grey Black Diamond pole basket somewhere on the way down. Saw a Foster Grant glasses case and a fleece. Left both where they were dropped. |
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 | Comments: |
Better hike than I expected, given the time of year. Great views in all directions on a sunny day in the 70s.
Started on Piper Trail, then branched over to Weetamoo, Hammond, and finally Liberty on the way up. All trails dry with minor standing water/mud issues below ~2500 feet. Patchy old monorail snow started to show up above 2500 but it is all avoidable or barebootable.
It was surprisingly tough to find the right way up once I hit the summit cone: the trails aren't very well marked up there, which is a problem since going the wrong way up or down the ledges can become real technical real fast.
Slightly more snow on Middle Sister and Carter Ledge trails on the way down. If you don't like descending treacherous ledges, I suggest taking another route down. On the whole, I thought it was a great mid-spring hike as I wait for the 4000s to thaw out a bit more. |
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 | Name: |
RBG |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-05-09 |
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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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