| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Major, Straightback Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Major Trail, Belknap Range Trail, Whiteface Mountain Trail, Bear Pass Trail, Jesus Valley Beaver Pond Trail, Boulder Loop Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, January 23, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lots of room today at the Mt Major Trailhead. Surprised to see so few people out on this nice day. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All either bridged or easy hops |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Some signage needs some TLC near the summit of Mt Major. No blowdowns |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No issues for dogs |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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|
 | Comments: |
After having been sick for almost a month it felt great to get back out and hike. Made a nice loop using the Bear Pass Trail. The Mt Major Trail was solid this morning with the cold start. We barebooted up Major and over the other side until we hit the Brook Trail junction. Snowshoes went on here and stayed on the rest of the day.
Some ice to navigate around going up the ledges on Major but easy enough to avoid, some may prefer spikes for the added traction. Once on the BRT the trail was broken out but less consolidated making snowshoes a must. We made our way to Straightback and then started down the Straightback Mountain Trail a little ways looking for the start of the Bear Pass Trail. We wandered about for a while trying to find the BPT and eventually found it. The Bear Pass Trail was untouched and we were breaking trail. Easy to follow with all the great blazing on the seldom used trial. We popped out on the Jesus Valley Trail and followed that down and back to the Boulder Loop Trail and then out to the lot. Some recent snowmobile traffic on the JVBP Trail and some tracked vehicle made it to the summit of Major. Trails were softening in the late morning and early afternoon sun making snowshoes ideal. Felt good to get back out. |
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 | Name: |
Skidder |
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 | E-Mail: |
stephen.kidder@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-01-23 |
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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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