Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Chocorua (attempt), NH |
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| Trails: |
Piper Trail, Weetamoo Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Monday, January 16, 2012 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Regular WMNF lot for the Piper Trail is not plowed. However, the gentleman who owns the home adjacent to the trailhead (right off of Route 16) has a plowed lot with room for about 12 cars -- he'll let you park all day for $3.00. Trailhead is about 0.1 miles past his lot. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Ice - Blue, Snow - Drifts, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Traction |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
All crossings are bridged, frozen, or not a problem. |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails are in good shape. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
Plenty of running water in the creek crossings, including the Chocorua River |
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| Bugs: |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
Took the Piper Trail almost to the intersection up top with the Champney Falls Trail. Backtracked down to the intersection with the Weetamoo Trail, and took that to about 0.1 miles shy of the intersection with the Hammond Trail.
Piper Trail is packed out and can be barebooted up to the first viewpoint ledges (just past the Camp Penacook spur trail). After that, plenty of blue ice and ice-covered snow (about a foot) on open ledge make traction or snowshoes with good teeth advisable. Snowshoes were helpful the entire trail, given the softening snow in some sections -- easy to keep them on when working around some of the bony sections (rock stairs just before and after Camp Penacook spur trail) -- plenty of powder on either side of the packed portion.
Weetamoo Trail has seen only a couple of people since the last snow -- nice powder (6-12") all the way. Trail is broken but not consolidated.
Nickerson Ledge Trail had not been broken out.
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| Name: |
Pancks and Tesco Heaney |
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| E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-01-17 |
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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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