Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Whiteface Mountain, NH |
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| Trails: |
Dicey's Mill Trail, Tom Wiggins Trail, Blueberry Ledge Trail, Rollins Trail, Blueberry Ledge Cutoff |
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| Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 7, 2016 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
It is at least a 1/2 mile walk from the Ferncroft parking lot to the trailhead. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
Where Tom Riggins crosses the Wonalacet River, the water was too high and the rocks too slick and moss covered to rock hop. We removed our hiking shoes and socks and crossed the river barefoot with the aid of our hiking poles. |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
These trails were all blazed in blue paint and with the exception of the lower portion of the Cutoff trail, many blazes are very faint and thus difficult to find. In several places we had to look around to make sure we had not gone off trail. The blazes are also spread farther apart than is ideal.
A few trees are blown down along the trails but could be stepped over. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw none. |
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| Bugs: |
A few small black flies. |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
Although one of the smaller 4,000 footers, this is a significant hike. The lower 1/3 of the mountain had dry trails, but the rest was wet. The upper part of Blueberry ledge was very slick because of the wet rock. There are small but slick patches of snow and ice on the upper 1/2 of the mountain, though most can be navigated around or traversed with some tree hugging. We had to put on Microspikes/Hillsounds to safely get over an extended run of slick ice between the false summit at the top of the ledges and the real summit about .25 miles later where the cairn is. We ran into 2 other hikers who turned around there because they did not have spikes and thus had to stop short about 1/10th mile from the summit cairn. |
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| Name: |
KLBS |
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| E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-05-08 |
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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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