| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Whiteface, East Sleeper, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Blueberry Ledge Trail, Kate Sleeper Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 10, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Ferncroft parking was busy as usual |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The Kate Sleeper trail is a mess beyond the junction with Downes Brook trail. The summit of East Sleeper is one huge blowdown, with no sign of the summit sign. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Baxter had lots of fun running around in the woods and swimming through snow drifts! She scrambled right up the ledges. We had to lift her up one vertical rock face about 5 feet high. Might be an issue if you have a big dog. |
|
 | Bugs: |
N/A |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The Blueberry Ledge trail was broken out but still powdery. We wore snowshoes all the way. The steep parts of the ledges were icy underneath and required careful scrambling. We carried crampons but there was enough snow to get traction in snowshoes, with some maneuvering. This trail is steeper than I remembered! The Kate Sleeper trail had no signs of recent travel, and the snow was deep. Compared to a couple inches at the trailhead, we encountered 18 inches on the ridge with deeper drifts. Descending from Whiteface the corridor was easy to follow, but immediately after the junction with Downes Brook trail the blowdowns started. In many places the trail itself was impassable and we climbed over and around piles of trees. This continued all the way to the summit of East Sleeper. We didn’t find the spur trail but instead bushwhacked through a massive blowdown to the point on my GPS marked as the summit. It was wide open compared to my last visit and no summit sign to be found. It took three hours just to get from Whiteface to East Sleeper. The return trip was half the time. All in all, a long 12-mile / 11 hour day to finally bag this peak that’s eluded me for a while. 97 down, 3 to go for my winter hundred highest! |
|
 | Name: |
Liz Wyman |
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 | E-Mail: |
lizwyman at yahoo |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-03-11 |
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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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