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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Randolph - North Peak, Mt. Randolph, NH
Trails
Trails: Grassy Lane, Pasture Path, Four Soldiers Path, FR 250, FR 250B, Underhill Path, bushwhack, Crescent Ridge Trail, Ledge Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 4, 2020
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: I parked at the old and smaller parking area across from Grassy Lane. It’s just a pull off that can fit a couple cars. Just mine and GI JO’s when I arrived at 10am and just me when I left at 6pm. Some potholes in the road that make for a bumpy road but the road was in good shape, free of snow/ice and not too soft or muddy.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow/Ice - Small Patches 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Water was high from the recent rain which made the many water crossings (mostly on Four Soldiers Path but some on Pastures Path and elsewhere as well) a bit difficult although usually small and certainly not dangerous. I was usually in snowshoes which didn’t help. Waterproof boots that aren’t lowcut were needed to avoid wet feet.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Pasture Path and Crescent Ridge Trail were blazed in orange. Sometimes the blazing was fresh; other times not so much. I don’t recall either being particularly well blazed but I didn’t have any trouble following Pasture Path but then again I believe it had all been broken out. Crescent Ridge was a bit hard to follow although it had been broken out so perhaps some more blaze on that one could be useful. The blue blaze GI JO mentioned in their trail report I believe was a ski trail shown on Gaia. I only saw one blue diamond though. I didn’t see another and it did seem very out of place though. The National Forest Boundary is also around here and was blazed in blue (you could follow it to the summit of the north peak of Randolph while “bushwhacking”) but I don’t think it ever came into contact with the Crescent Ridge Trail. Four Soldiers and Underhill Paths we’re both blazed in yellow. They weren’t blazed terribly frequently but at least a blaze every tenth of a mile probably more often. They could use more though especially where Four Soldiers Path goes through the brush. I imagine it was easier to follow this time of year than in summer when it’s all overgrown but there were still parts where I couldn’t tell where the trail went and couldn’t see any blaze. A GPS was definitely helpful. Underhill was not brushy but seemed to cross lots of old, overgrown roads in odd ways. I thought it followed them or it looked like real corridor when it actually crossed them, or followed another one, etc. There’s also some tricky turns on Underhill Path. The upper switchbacks are marked with an arrow but I wish there were arrows beforehand as well. Double blaze would also have been helpful. Again, a GPS was very helpful. Numerous blowdowns of course mostly on Four Soldiers, Underhill, and Crescenf Ridge. No big clusters though and nothing that was too difficult to negotiate, at least one larger one I recall on Crescent Ridge and on Four Soldiers just maybe a tenth of a mile from Pond of Safety Rd. Most others were probably fairly small.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Oh saw prints. These trails would probably be fine for hiking dogs. The one or two icy sections of Crescent Ridge you’d probably want to watch them on and they'd likely need help.  
Bugs
Bugs: Saw some mosquitos flying around here and there but not swarming or biting yet.  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: None 
 
Comments
Comments: I took Grassy Lane —> Pasture Path —> Four Soldiers Path —> FR250 and FR250B to Pond of Safety and back —> Underhill Path —> bushwhack to Mount Randolph - North Peak and back —> Underhill Path —> Crescent Ridge Trail —> Ledge Trail —> Pasture Path —> Grassy Lane back to car. I also didn’t think that Crescent Ridge Trail went to the true summit of Mount Randolph so I attempted a bushwhack to it before intersecting back with the trail closer to the high point. Of course since I was redlining I then had to do an out-and-back on the portion of trail I was missing and I felt a bit silly. But that’s what those weird tracks are in case you’re wondering!!

Gaia says I hiked 11.3mi. I think the elevation gain is about 2500ft. At 10am it was just below 40F and I think it was at least that warm closer to 50 as the day went on. Although it was predicted to be cloudy, there were large pockets of blue sky and sun too which was very nice.

If following this route I’d recommend starting out in microspikes and gaiters and then switching to snowshoes when you get on Four Soldiers Path with the understanding that you’re going to posthole a bit in between. Waterproof footwear and gaiters are definitely tour friends this time of year. There’s just not enough consistent snow cover to wear snowshoes from the start unfortunately. Even putting them on at Four Soldiers Path as I suggest (I put them on shortly thereafter) isn’t perfect as there’s still some dry spots where they will get banged up and there’s a bunch of water crossings shortly after that are tricky to negotiate in snowshoes. I left mine on until Lookout Ledge where things got bare again. I left them off but should have put them on once back on Pasture Trail. Sorry for my postholes. The snowpack is still well over a foot up high. I postholed a couple of times to a little past my knee in snowshoes as well on Four Soldiers and Underhill. Some small little snow bridges collapsed underneath me as well. It’s that time of year.

Crescent Ridge Trail was broken out and parts of Pasture Path. No one had been on Four Soldiers or Underhill recently. There were very faint ski tracks on this loop however. I bushwhacked the north peak of Randolph from the northwest about a quarter of a mile from the end of Underhill Path. The woods weren’t bad and the grades were fine except the sharp bump the high point is on. I thought it prudent not to sign in. You could follow the blue National Forest Boundary markers to the summit which was kind of cool but they cross the trail a bit further east of where I started my bushwhack.

Seems like a good time of year to do the Four Soldiers Trail seeing as how it’s very overgrown in summer and probably rock heaven. Likely easier to follow this fine of year too although I was still reliant on Gaia to tell me which way the trail was.  
Name
Name: Liam Cooney 
E-Mail
E-Mail: liamcooney96@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2020-04-06 
Link
Link: https:// 
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