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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mountain, NH
Trails
Trails: Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Falling Waters Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, December 8, 2013
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: The parking area on the West-side near Lonesome Lake TH is totally covered in ice. Otherwise, no issues.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Ice - Blue 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Light Traction, Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: The crossings of Dry Brook are partially bridged (ice) but don't trust the ice. However, all the crossings are quite manageable. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes:  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: The windchill across the ridge and very icy conditions on all trails made for difficult conditions today. I would not recommend bringing dogs on this hike. However, there were 2 on the trails today and they seemed to do fine. Going up Falling Waters would be sensible. Any dog that can make it past the Falls area and all the crossings - the 2 I met today had done that - should be able to handle the rest of the loop okay although Lafayette summit may be difficult - see Comments below.  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: FOUND: A pair of gloves (red, half-finger) on Old Bridle Path about 0.5 miles from the hut. 
 
Comments
Comments: Doing the loop counter-clockwise will deal with the most icy sections early - i.e. on the ascent of Falling Waters. However, I did the loop clockwise to have the wind mostly behind me across the ridge - and I was pretty happy with the choice.

I used microspikes for the ascent but then switched to Hillsounds (trail crampons) which provide a lot better traction. If making a choice of what to carry go for more traction, not less. However, I did meet a couple of bare-booters across the ridge. Seems awfully risky to me, though.

The last couple of hundred yards around Lafayette summit are completely ice-glazed and covered with rime-frost which gives the false impression of decent traction. I searched for protruding rocks without the ice-glazing but could not find any in that area.

Great to meet Lucky Laura on the trails (parking lot) today.  
Name
Name: LongMark 
E-Mail
E-Mail: perfrost@yahoo.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2013-12-08 
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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