| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Chocorua, Middle Sister (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Champney Falls Trail, Piper Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 11, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Crossing near the parking was solidly ice bridged but there are signs for how to get over if impassible (kind of obvious anyway) |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Many blowdowns on upper part of Champney falls trail, most smaller diameter that could be taken out with handsaw. I believe a few were on the piper trail section too |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I was first one up Champney falls in the morning and trail was packed but not perfectly so and was narrow. I was only one up earlier this morning but about 16 people were headed up I the pm so that trail is fine for micros.
Neither of the trails headed to middle sister were tracked I the am so I opted to summit chocorua. It was fine in micro spikes, though the last chute to summit required kicking steps to safely descend... If you slid there you could die. There is a lot of thick blue ice under the snow in the above treeline area and thin snow cover so if it gets warmer or even sunny crampons would be a good idea to safely summit. Don't underestimate chocorua in winter, it can be trickier than most 4ks.
A lone bareboat (crampon) track was headed to middle sister on my descend. Boles trail untracked.
What a gift to be pain free for first time in 10 months! Got the views this am before cloud deck lowered and it started snowing. |
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 | Name: |
John in NH |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-01-11 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.jwelchphoto.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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