| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Chase Mountain, Loomis Valley Brook Peak, Tucker Mountain - South Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Swift Diamond Road, 4 Mile Brook Road, bushwhacks, unknown logging road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, February 3, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
there is currently a logging operation in the nathan pond ridge area that is accessing via new greenough pond road from rt 16 north of errol. this allowed us to drive in to swift diamond road in second college grant (roughly 5 miles). the road is plowed wide and a dusting of new snow this week seemed to have adhered well to the icy road making for better driving than when we scouted it last week. we still opted to put on tire chains since we had them and had no issue getting in. there is currently good parking at the start of swift diamond road.
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
part of our choice of the route was to utilize bridges on the roads to make all the major crossings particularly that of the swift diamond river. any minor drainages enncountered were a non-issue. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
the gated swift diamond road had been plowed at some point this winter which made for minimal sinking in snowshoes and quick going down across the swift diamond and up to the junction with 4 mile brook road. we made the call to used 4 mile brook road to access the drainage between south tucker and chase/loomis first starting west then turning north on the long walk in. a snowmobile had ridden this road at some point and the walking was generally good with minimal sinking. when we reached a hard west turn on 4 mile brook road where it drops to cross the east branch we started our bushwhack up to the ridge between chase and loomis. woods were open with deep mostly supportive snow with some breakable crust and occasional deep punch throughs. we ended up above and a little west of the saddle on chase and headed south for the summit first over a false bump then through some occasionally scrappy snow covered spruce to the recognized highpoint. we followed our tracks back down for a bit then headed on a direct compass line to loomis valley peak staying west and below the ridge line. this route traversed mostly open cuts with one short thick section before the main climb up loomis. some snow loaded spruce and one steep pitch before reaching the summit and recgonzied highpoint. we dropped off the summit southwest winding through some spruce before hitting open logged woods down to an unknown logging road that brought us back south to 4 mile road. we then dropped west to cross the east branch on a bridge and followed the road north a few minutes to get past a steep spur on south tucker before heading for the summit. woods were open, but the snow was less supportive with more breakable crust up to the false eastern summit. from there we wound through patches of spruce using old skid cuts and moose lanes up to the recognized highpoint. we followed our tracks back down to 4 mile road and then made the long walk back out to the car. |
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 | Name: |
bryan, zporterColdRiverCampCook |
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 | E-Mail: |
bryancuddihee@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-02-04 |
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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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