| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Cardigan, Firescrew, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Manning Trail, Holt Trail, Holt-Clark Cutoff, Clark Trail, Mowglis Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, February 22, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
A few cars at Cardigan Lodge when we got there. The lot was a proverbial skating rink but some guys showed up soon after we got there and starting throwing sand on the parking area from the back of a flatbed. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Spring Snow |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing difficult. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No blowdowns. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
At times on the ascent of Firescrew from Cardigan on Mowglis Trail it was hard to follow the trail because the blazes may have been painted on the rocks (and the same color as snow) and there weren't a whole lot of cairns on certain parts. But we followed the tracks left by others, and although the tracks frequently were obviously not on the trail, they went in the general right direction and we rejoined the trail later.
A beautiful bluebird day. A wicked chilling wind at the summit of Cardigan, less so on Firescrew. I used microspikes from the trailhead but switched to crampons about a mile from the summit where the ice bulges started getting serious. Lone Wolf started out barebooting in his mountaineering boots and added crampons shortly before I put mine on. The bare rock summit of Cardigan made us take the crampons off till we started down the other side on Mowglis Trail. Descending Firescrew on Manning Trail would have been impossible without crampons due to huge blue ice bulges and a lot of yellow ice bulges as well. The yellow ice was the same as the blue ice except it was stained with Mountain Juice, I guess you might call it. We just left the crampons on all the way back to the trailhead. There were only a few small parts of the Manning Trail that were a little bony. We only saw 1 other hiker all day, and that was quite early on the trek. A great day on the trail. |
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 | Name: |
greatoz |
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 | E-Mail: |
greatoz.tz...gmail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-02-22 |
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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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