Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Mansfield (The Chin), VT |
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| Trails: |
Mountain Road, CCC Road, Eagles Cut Trail, Laura Cowles Trail, Long Trail, Sunset Ridge Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 4, 2018 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Not much space for cars in winter on Mountain Road. More folks there to CC-ski up and down the CCC road, than to hike. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One downed tree on the spur path to Cantilever rock, easy to avoid. There was another small tree down over the trail somewhere, I don't recall where, but it wasn't a hindrance. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
None |
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| Bugs: |
None |
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| Lost and Found: |
Found a shiny blue aluminum water bottle on the way to Cantilever Rock. Contact me if it's yours! |
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| Comments: |
Headed up from the west this time, taking the very steep Laura Cowles up to stay out of the wind as long as possible, and Sunset Ridge down since, well, I prefer loops (and didn't want to descend all that steep!). LC was half broken-out, SR pretty much fully so. Temps were pretty mild, considering, but winds were very strong up above treeline and on Sunset Ridge especially (upwards of 40-50mph gusts). I struggled to maintain balance several times.
Wore snowshoes the whole way, even up on the rocky summit. The recent few inches of snow helped provide enough of a blanket/cover on the ice that the shoes nearly always retained a good grip. Parts of Laura Cowles were certainly tricky, but really not half as bad as if that snow hadn't fallen a couple days earlier. Above treeline, some bare rock, some ice, but also a lot of snow-coated ice to help with grip. A good amount of snow is forecast so that will only help; but still, walk carefully up there.
Found a shiny blue aluminum water bottle on the spur path to Cantilever Rock. Contact me if you lost one.
61 of Winter 67 |
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| Name: |
Erik Bertrand |
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| E-Mail: |
erik@bertpc.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-02-04 |
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| Link: |
https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/40eb37c5ef7721a2c6fd94d4cba4ccc819751ad8 |
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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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