| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Tripyramid, Middle Tripyramid, Scaur Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Pine Bend Brook Trail, Mt. Tripyramid Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, April 19, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The pull over is clear of all snow, I was one of 2 cars today room for several more (get completely off the pavement). |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Wet/Sticky, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Very few snow ridges left, and the ones still there are very questionable and likely won't last the weekend. The crossings were all rock-hoppable at the trail crossings with dry boots. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The sawn wood plank bog bridge in the first 1/4 mile is broken in 2 or 3 places and sitting in the mud now. A couple blowdowns on Pine Bend just below the ridge that are crawl unders at the moment. A couple more in the steeps up to North Tri, but nothing too obnoxious. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None out today, hard crusty ice on the steeps might be a problem for some, but otherwise probably no issues. |
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 | Bugs: |
Found my first 2014 spiderweb....with my face of course... |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A full set of spring conditions on this one. Patchy monorail in the first mile, rarely more than 8" high. The rail became taller and the snow on the sides more present up to the base of the climb to the ridge. Monorail basically the whole way from there, sometimes not visible but usually obvious. Things in the elevations around the Wilderness Boundary were pretty soft and tricky on the way down. Above the base of the ravine the monorail was still wide enough that snowshoes worked fine.
I opted for spikes up to the base of the ravine, then snowshoes back to a little below this spot. The flotation was not needed on-trail, but the traction and heel lifts were both very welcome on the steeps. The two others I saw mostly used microspikes though I don't know what they opted for on the way down. Things were solid enough that they seemed to be working fine for them. Some ice under the coating of snow (1") from earlier in the week, ascending was a non issue but I took a minor spill coming down the steeps on the cone of North Tri as the snowshoes don't grip the hard ice that well.
While following a false monorail in the open area near the Scaur Ridge Trail junction I found the off-trail snow to be quite supportive with snowshoes, so I added the short bushwhack to Scaur Peak on the way back. Open woods all the way from the hairpin turn in the col, and a prominent summit so I walked right up to the proper high point. Easy and quick side jaunt, and I have seen in summer what appears to be a solid herd path heading that way too.
A nice day out, the area had mostly clear skies all day while up North was pretty cloudy for the bulk of the day. Some tricky narrow monorail sliding conditions below the Wilderness Boundary were the only major black mark on this day. Can't wait for this snow to just totally go away at this point, so the crazy hiking plans can get rolling! |
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 | Name: |
madmattd |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-04-19 |
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 | Link: |
 https://mattshikes.blogspot.com |
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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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