| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Monadnock, Monte Rosa, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Old Halfway House Trail, Old Toll Road, White Arrow Trail, Dublin/Marlboro Trail, Smith Summit Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, March 13, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plowed parking at the Old Toll Road trailhead on Rt. 124. No fee at the time of year. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The trails themselves are in great shape. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Fine for dogs, but didn't see any. |
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 | Bugs: |
Nope. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
Found a green Nalgene bottle on the steep scramble before the first ledges on White Arrow. |
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|
 | Comments: |
Just realized I forgot to post this one from last Friday...
It was a lovely, sunny, but chilly (11 degrees) morning at the Old Toll Road trailhead as I headed up the Old Halfway House Trail. Trail conditions were packed solid, but choppy pretty much everywhere except the OHHT. There's a relocation before the upper portion of the trail (which is currently closed due to erosion), directing users over the Toll Road for a short stretch before getting to the White Arrow Trail.
This is where the rough trails began. There was an old snowshoe track, but it has been postholed and was now frozen, making footing difficult in spots. With the warmup last week, ice is starting to reappear, and the steep scramble on WAT just before the trail levels out at the ledges was a giant bulge of ice. I didn't fully trust my spikes here, so I did a short bushwhack around it.
Getting higher up on White Arrow, there was less and less snow, with the summit being bare rock. I removed my spikes up here.
I descended via Smith Summit Trail, which showed evidence of very light traffic, and took care to follow until back down in the trees, where the track was a bit more clear. I didn't expect to see anyone on this stretch, but passed a group of three on their way up.
I looped over Monte Rosa, a nice destination in itself, where I was alone there as well, except for the creaking of the weather vane swaying lightly in the breeze. Descending from Monte Rosa back to the White Arrow Trail was very rough, with frozen posthole-ey conditions. Once back to the WAT, it was an easy cruise back to the trailhead.
I did the entire trip in spikes, but snowshoes would be helpful once things warm up and the snow pack softens. |
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 | Name: |
KenM |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-03-16 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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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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