| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Paugus Ledges, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Big Rock Cave Trail, Old Paugus Trail, Lawrence Trail, Cabin Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 17, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The parking across from Big Rock/Cabin trailheads was plowed, the larger one could hold a few cars parked nose in, the smaller one a couple parked sideways. On returning to my car there were a few car parked alongside the road on the shoulder. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The one major crossing was Whitin Brook. I removed my snowshoes and put on microspikes, and used some smaller rocks just downstream from the main crossing. I probably could have jumped on the large boulders but didn't want Pepper to follow. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There is a mess of blowdowns completely obscuring the trail along the ridge at the head of a an icy steep area of Old Paugus where it drops down slightly. On reflection I think this is where an old trail heads off to Old Shag Camp. There are scattered blowdowns on Lawrence. There is no sign for Whitin Brook where it intersects Big Rock. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Most of the hike was a piece of cake for Pepper, although he did have considerable icing on his paws. There are a many open small drainages on the lower Big Rock and Cabin trails, and lower Cabin has considerable wet sections of trail as well, so paws will likely get wet. Old Paugus has a steep section with ice flows, icy boulders and icicles which could be quite difficult for a dog. Pepper did better than I felt the need to spot him in a few sections, but he was okay. Since a slip could have been bad I wouldn't recommend this route right now. We saw a couple of dogs heading down from Paugus who were doing fine. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We broke out Big Rock, Old Paugus and Lawrence to the Paugus ledges, but the snow wasn't deep, maybe 2-3" of powdery new stuff from yesterday over some old snow. I used snowshoes for the traction and to pack things down more for Pepper. It was such a delightful snowshoe in the sun. At the Paugus ledges we started to run into hikers coming up from the west, many in spikes or bareboots, but others in snowshoes. The trail was an easy and fun snowshoe down to Cabin as a result. Pepper was delighted to see Cabin had been packed down with at least one snowshoe user in the group, so the hike down it was pretty easy too. But the lesser snow and wet areas down low were a bit of a nuisance. Whitin Brook was unbroken.
The climb up the steep ice flowed boulder section of Old Paugus was a challenge. Most of the time my snowshoes bit well and Pepper used those bites to climb up safely. There was one spot, however, where he got up and had to watch me look for ways to follow. I eventually found a way to crawl up and over a boulder but I was very relieved to make it. If I had crampons I could have just walked up the ice flow in this section. I had microspikes but I didn't trust them on this ice; the MSR Evo Ascents crampons were better. I think it would have been easier to descend in this one spot, but elsewhere it was likely better to be ascending. Two people would have made it easier either pushing or pulling from safe positions. As soon as that section was done we ran into a mess of blowdown and regen that hid the trail. We whacked through it, I fortunately remembered there should be a trail a short ways down from the height of land. After that the hike returned to a good snowshoe, and except for a couple brief moments of losing the trail in the next ledge section, the hike was uneventful. We ran into a group with one dog a ways down from the ledges that were doing a loop and going out Bickford. At that time I thought they could bypass this steep section, but looking at the map now I see they had to descend it. I expect they took their time and made it down safely; I'd be curious how it was descending. Sometimes a controlled butt slide works where nothing else is good. But in any case I wouldn't recommend it without at least carrying some sort of crampons right now. Near the end of Cabin we ran into a group of skiers and dogs who shot past us effortlessly. Thanks Pepper! |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-01-17 |
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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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