| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mountain, Mt. Liberty, Mt. Flume, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Liberty Spring Trail, bike path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Lafayette Place trailhead--probably room for a good dozen or so cars. I was one of maybe 4 or so when I started around 10:30 a.m., and there were a good half dozen plus when I returned shortly after 8 p.m. (I suspect largely for the campground, though). |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Lots of little run off streams all along Liberty Springs Trail, but all easily rockhoppable or stepped over. Cascade Brook required some care, but still barely rock hoppable. Likely will be much more problematic with much more rain/melt off, as it was fairly fast & swollen as it was. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Everything in fairly decent shape, aside from a few more difficult blow downs between Haystack and Liberty that required some tight squeezes around or under due to the high snow pack. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
They should be fine, and saw quite a few :) |
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 | Bugs: |
None! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
I could not have asked for a more glorious day for this semi-impromptu endeavor :)
All in all, trails were in pretty good shape--a few more lumpy sections on Old Bridle Path heading up, with one slightly more decimated postholed section about halfway up, but all in all the snow was soft enough to where nothing presented a huge issue with snowshoes. I did switch over to spikes at the little lookout before the final stretch up Lafayette, but their crampons probably would've come in handy on the steeper, slick stuff above treeline up to the summit. Believe I made do fine with bareboots for most of the rest of the ridge, as spaces with any snow were short and far between. Mostly just lots of melted slush I accidentally stepped right into more than once ;)
Popped the snowshoes back on after reaching little Haystack, and they stayed on from there over to Liberty and Flume. The FRT over to Liberty had been broken out by one nice man and his sweet dog who I ran into not long after, so it's easy enough to follow, but definitely a bit...claustrophobic...in sections, as the snow pack does still seem to be quite high. Heading back down Liberty Springs Trail was very easy going for roughly the first mile, but after that everything suddenly just became mud with a lovely little stream coursing down where I suppose the trail should've been. Just barebooted it from there on. Lots of smaller little runoff crossings throughout, and while the Cascade Brook crossing wasn't problematic, it was definitely swollen and fast and I'd be somewhat wary of what shape it'll be in after much more rain/melting. Really, though, every part of this was absolutely gorgeous and nothing more than a few slightly obnoxious spots, although the last slog along the bike path back to the car was probably the longest 2.5 miles of my life ;P |
|
 | Name: |
Amelie Crowe |
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 | E-Mail: |
ameliecrowe22@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-04-10 |
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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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