Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Moriah, NH |
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| Trails: |
Stony Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Quiet day at the parking lot off Rt.16 today. Lots of room. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Blue, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable) |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues with the 3 main crossings. Crossed the slip-and-slide upper crossing down below the slabs, as most folks seem to do these days. |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One trivial step-over a little ways above the first (main) crossing. The usual mud pits on the ridge are still frozen - for now. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
Some hard ice in the AM, but dogs should be able to avoid them by going a short ways into the woods. |
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| Bugs: |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
Trail conditions were pretty much as described in recent reports. The ice starts shortly before the upper crossing around 2500', and is mostly consistent up to the ridge, aside from the rocky stretch halfway between said crossing and the ridge, which was mostly clear of ice. The final pitch to the ridge had some hard ice bulges in the morning, but it was significantly softer a couple hours later during descent. The ridge was mostly ice-covered in the woods (except for some spots with more sun exposure), with a significant ice bulge just before the final ledge section with the left turn to the summit. The ledges themselves are clear and dry. In the end I think I switched on-and-off with the spikes roughly a dozen times along the ridge round-trip. Used just the beater spikes, which were marginally sufficient on the ascent of the hard ice in the morning, but were fine during the descent with the soft ice. I had sharper Hillsound spikes just in case, but they ended up getting a free ride today. I'd still bring sharp traction just in case. Some minor mud along the lower half of the Stoney Brook Trail.
Saw no one until I was near the second crossing on my descent, and that was all of 3 people. Had the summit to myself for 1/2-hour, basking in the sun. A gorgeous weekend. |
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| Name: |
madmattd |
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| E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-04-18 |
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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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