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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Loon South Peak (attempt), NH
Trails
Trails: Escape Route (ski trail), logging roads, bushwhack, Cruiser (ski trail)
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 9, 2016
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: I thought I found the parking area for the South Peak (Loon) ski area but it turns out I only found the "Escape Route" parking lot, which explains why I couldn't find any lifts when I started up. At any rate, there is plenty of parking in a couple small lots but the main lot for the "Escape Route" is gated.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Wet/Slippery Rock, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Skis 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: rock-hoppable along logging road 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: no issues 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: NOTE: there are bears around here!!!! :) 
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Wasn't sure what I'd hike/skin, and South Peak looked good after a morning of riding Loon, SO, I headed to South Peak. I figured I didn't see any lift because the lot was gated (I was at the wrong lot anyway - the one with no lift access). I headed up the "Escape Route" ski trail - I didn't have a ski trail map on me so I wasn't sure where I was. I started out carrying my split board and eventually found some connected patches of snow so I started skinning. When the trail bent left (I was expecting the lift/slopes to be on my right), I found an old logging road near a defunct camp area with a lot of camp relics (mostly galvanized buckets and other camp implements - probably not that old but the cabin was long gone).

Along the way, still on the Escape Route ski trail, I noticed a smallish bear (cub?) playing/pushing/tossing/tumbling around a big rolled piece of ski area padding - I have never seen anything like it - so, despite the less-than-ideal time, it was really neat!!!!

So, I headed up the logging road to the right - pretty substantial with a LOT of rock work along the edge. I kept going for maybe a mile as the saplings got thicker and thicker. Eventually, I decided to straight-out bushwhack for the ridge hoping to run into where I thought the ski trails were, figuring I was originally on an access trail of some kind to the main Loon Peak. It was a nightmare as the saplings kept grabbing my split board now hanging off my pack at various angles. Bushwhacking in resort snowboard boots was awful as well. I was getting totally burned out looking for the damn ski slopes, so, I finally turned left, went back downhill through several swampy/rocky areas all the time getting beaten by the saplings hitting the top and bottom of my snowboard.

FINALLY, I found the "Cruiser" ski trail on the left and then started skinning again up a few hundred more vertical feet when the snow was getting very shiny - sun had not warmed the snow enough. I took a spill backwards then put on some crampons but shortly realized, "WHY ARE YOU PUTTING ON CRAMPONS - YOU WILL NEVER GET AN EDGE IN THIS!" So, around 2000' I reassembled and down-climbed a bit and got some bumpy, then creamy, then bumpy turns in. The creamy turns more than made up for the struggle. :) And the sighting of the bear cub playing is reason enough why, when things don't go as you want, other cool things can happen :) CHEERS!!!!!  
Name
Name: Becca Munroe 
E-Mail
E-Mail: beccahiker@yahoo.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2016-04-09 
Link
Link: https:// 
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