| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Moosilauke, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Tunnel Brook Trail, Benton Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, December 15, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Due to logging operations, Tunnel Stream rowed is plowed!! This really saved me today because I probably would not have made it to the top otherwise. I managed pretty well in a small SUV WITHOUT snow tires. I did park shortly before the start of the trail where another logging toad diverged and the road widened to turn around (I was worried about getting out). This was probably just a few tenths of a mile from the official start of the trail though. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The one crossing did look a bit difficult but no ice broke out from underneath me and my feet didn’t get wet :) It is beginning to form a snow/ice bridge. I went downstream just a tad where there were more rocks to rock hop on. Some ice was very thin and I’m sure would have broke if I stepped on it. I probed it with my hiking pole. Things didn’t look any different on my way back even given the warm temperatures.
There were also some crossings on the Tunnel Brook Trail that the reroute didn’t go around. Really small crossings but often made a bit difficult by the terrain. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Tunnel Brook Trail wasn’t really blazed in the section I was on except where the reroutes went into the woods. I missed one of the reroutes on the way up. I tried to catch it on my way back but I lost the trail after turning into the woods and retraced my steps (I had a headlamp but it was still too dark). Still a bit of a pain in places due to all the storm damage but very easy to follow most of the way since it’s a very wide road.
The Benton trail was pretty well blazed in blue. There’s some lighter blue blaze towards the beginning of Benton Trail that marks property lines I assume that could be a tad confusing if you don’t know what you’re doing. As you gained elevation there were more blowdowns and there was one brief section of trail that was totally obscured by trees weighed down by snow. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Snow fleas and another big or two that I didn’t recognize. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Barebooted until the river crossing. Put on microspikes to cross the river as it was very icy. Shortly thereafter I put in snowshoes. I probably should have put on snowshoes sooner but there were bare stretches of trail and I knew that the water crossing could be difficult in snowshoes.
About 3 inches of snow down low that you’d sink through. It increased drastically as you went up as there didn’t seem to e any base and starting around 3700 feet there was fresh powder. There was often a breakable crust underneath the snow too that sometimes I’d posthole (not sink but actually posthole) past my knee through in snowshoes. That said, snowshoes are definitely needed on this trail right now (and really anytime in winter as it is seldom traveled this time of year). The snow wasn’t real sticky or anything which was good but it didn’t feel like dirty spring snow. So all in all is wasn’t the best of conditions.
To worsen things, I heard what sounded like screams coming from Tunnel Brook Ravine down below. Thinking they could be skiers or ice climbers that had gotten hurt I yelled back but I couldnt make out what they were saying. I bushwhacked to the edge of the ravine and yelled again. I eventually got a “we are okay†from them (thank god) but wondered what possessed these people to yell so loudly. Very scary and I wasn’t sure what I should do. This group of three young men eventually caught up to me. They said they liked to yell into the ravine and hear the echos. While I understand the allure I’d encourage people not to do this. Further worsening my opinion of these young men was that none of them had snowshoes. When I started to winter hike 2 winters ago I didn’t have snowshoes either and I occasionally postholed but I also stuck to trails that had a very high likelihood of being packed out. The fact that they attempted this rarely traveled trail in winter was pure ignorance and the fact that they continued after postholing so badly was just stupid. Then after I suggested they go down not just for their sake but for the safety of those after them and they decided not to, I felt that was just cruel. Once they passed me and one of them “broke trail†he had to do so on his hands and knees. They did continue on past 4000 feet but they eventually turned around not too far from the jct with Beaver Brook Trail. They made going down the trail a hell of a lot tougher than it should have been... |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-12-16 |
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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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