| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Straightback Mountain, Mt. Anna, Mt. Mack, Mt. Klem, Rand Mountain, West Quarry Mountain, Mt. Major, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Old Stage Road, Straightback Mountain Trail, Belknap Range Trail, Quarry Trail, Marsh Crossing Trail, Jesus Valley - Beaver Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, December 6, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
decent parking on the shoulder of jesus valley road near the start of the stage road. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Spring Snow |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
crossings all easily rock hopped. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
i removed all blowdown on the trail between straightback and anna (my adopted piece) and did some minor brushing. i removed some blowdown on the rest of the route. the most notable maintenance note is a large blowdown about halfway between anna and mack that will require a large saw (chainsaw) or axe. lots of small dead fall all along the route. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
some mixed conditions with bare ground down low on the stage road/straighback mountain trail, but after the split snowshoes were the best choice for most of the hike. some bare ledge high on straight back, but easy enough to stay on snow. the trail was fairly hard packed and rough from boots. the trail towards anna was initially packed then after the precipice split it had only seen the tracks of one intrepid booter to anna. snowshoeing was generally good if thin in spots. hard snowshoe track between anna and mack then one set of tracks to klem. the klem spur was untouched. the trail to rand and quarry had not seen recent use either though given how much the snow has consolidated breaking was quick and easy. i basically bushwhacked up rand from the klem saddle to avoid the sometimes icy sidehill on the first steep pitch then just kept going to pick up the trail right below the summit. steeps on west quarry had minimal ice. marsh crossing had seen one set of boots. the trail from straightback to major was hard and fairly rough from mixed footwear use. beaver pond trail had decent snowshoeing up high then became tedious farther down and i switched over to light traction for the remainder of the hike.
nice day overall with mild temps and good views. caps off a 2018 belknap 12 calendar year grid. |
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 | Name: |
bryan |
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 | E-Mail: |
bryancuddihee@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-12-06 |
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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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