| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Liberty, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bike path, herd path, Liberty Spring Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 3, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The Basin parking was well plowed on Sunday. I was first car at 6am, about ten cars there at 1:30pm. Still plenty of room. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable) |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Some of the stepovers required climbing out. The main crossing was holding well so far, though there were a couple ski pole holes poking thru to the water. |
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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 bushwhack was in good shape. Watch carefully for it, the turnoff is kind of camouflaged by the drifts.
The monorail was well packed out and in good shape. It was one of those deals where it was slightly divoted from spikes from Saturday, but the fresh inch or so of morning powder was mashing into it nicely with snowshoes. These great conditions persisted up to the ridge line, where there were some drifting. The last 30 yards or so to the Liberty peak appeared dicey at first. I was scared, so I went with crampons and ice ax, but ultimately I went up so easily that way, it may have been overkill. I chock it up to inexperience. I originally planned to go for Flume as well, but this was the first time I had ever tried toeing in with crampons, and I had just recently got a 5 minute lesson on using the ice ax with two fingers over the top, and toeing in with that as well, like you're a tripod with three well dug-in points of contact. Keep the butt of the ax on the ground to get the correct angle when you toe the front of the ax in. The two fingers over the top are what allow you to hold on if one of your feet kick out. It works great, but maybe I should have practiced it the first time in a less scary place! Typical of other times I've turned back, once below treeline the fear evaporated and I was going 'damn damn damn I should go back and get Flume' all the way down. And then when the sun poked out later in the day, I was really kicking myself in the ass. But, I do have that little stepping stone's worth of experience under my belt now, and I did get one peak, so what the hell. Like I said, I chock it up to inexperience.
Monday morning, there was about 5" of fresh wet snow at my hotel in Lincoln. This was wet snow that was highly compressible. |
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 | Name: |
Steve Marion |
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 | E-Mail: |
swamp_fox@comcast.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-03-04 |
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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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