Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mountain, NH |
|
| Trails: |
Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Falling Waters Trail |
|
| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 8, 2013 |
|
| 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: |
Ice - Blue |
|
| Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
|
| 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: |
|
|
| 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: |
|
|
| Lost and Found: |
FOUND: A pair of gloves (red, half-finger) on Old Bridle Path about 0.5 miles from the hut. |
|
|
|
|
| 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: |
LongMark |
|
| E-Mail: |
perfrost@yahoo.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2013-12-08 |
|
| Link: |
https:// |
|
|
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. |
|