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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Mansfield (The Chin), VT
Trails
Trails: Road walk, Laura Cowles Trail, Long Trail, Sunset Ridge Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, February 18, 2017
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Winter Parking, if you want to hike on Saturday get there early for a good spot!  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Bridges 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Good besides deep snow! 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: We saw about 3 hiker dogs. 
Bugs
Bugs: N/a 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: n/a 
 
Comments
Comments: We followed someone else's snow shoe tracks up Laura but that person lost the trail and turned around, so we had to break trail rest of the way. Snow was up to Joe's neck at times as he struggled to make a path. The trail was hidden numerous times by drooping low snow-covered tree limbs and trees; we had to crawl through 'tunnels' created by snow and branches. We saw a couple blue blazes, but they were ground level and barely visible. Near the tree line a young man caught up with us and complained of all the bending over and crawling and scrambling he had to do (no pity, we were probably 3 times older than him and we had done all the work for him!). He followed us up to the ridgeline due to not knowing the trail, and the fact the trail was buried in snow.

The summit walk was easy on top of hard encrusted snow. The summit area was abuzz with Stowe-side snowboarders, skiers and hikers who came up Sunset and other trails. The wind was strong maybe 50 mph gusts, though really warm for this time of year. Visibility was also superb. Going down Sunset was relatively easy due to minimal snow depths on the ridge and a well established trail.  
Name
Name: Joe and Flo 
E-Mail
E-Mail: aloe@myfairlpoint.net 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2017-02-19 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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