Mt. Lafayette (attempt) - Greenleaf Trail - 2-16-2019

Hiking Trail Conditions Report
	Peaks	Mt. Lafayette (attempt), NH

	Trails:	Greenleaf Trail

	Date of Hike:	Saturday, February 16, 2019

	Parking/Access Road Notes:

	Surface Conditions:	Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder

	Recommended Equipment:	Snowshoes, Traction

	Water Crossing Notes:

	Trail Maintenance Notes:	A few down trees, nothing major. Other than 1 person about ~10 minutes ahead of us, the trail was unbroken.

	Dog-Related Notes:	Saw one happy doggo heading up greenleaf to Eagle Pass only. Any higher is probably too much snow.

	Bugs:

	Lost and Found:


	Comments:	Greenleaf trail up was practically untouched, slow process and snowshoes are a must. Over 1 foot of powder in spots. We saw a few people who came up the Old Bridle Path, which they said was much more packed due to higher traffic. Was supposed to be a beautiful day, but near the summit we had much higher winds and lower visibility (<100 ft) than expected (see picture). Got within 300 ft of the summit with our microspikes on. We reached a large slab of ice and couldn't see the next cairn from our position. A few people came out of the clouds and were very disoriented asking if we were going up or down! One man said he was lost up on the ridge off-trail for nearly 40 minutes. Hopefully they learned their lesson and won't take risks like that again. Anyways, we didn't trust our microspikes on the ice given the current conditions and descended. Met 1 or 2 other groups that managed to summit, some with crampons and others with microspikes, but with only light traction we didn't want to risk it.

	Name:	homerunnerd

	E-Mail:

	Date Submitted:	2019-02-18

	Link:	https://i.imgur.com/YHtd0wi.jpg
		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.