| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Carter Dome, South Carter, Middle Carter, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Carter Moriah Trail, North Carter Trail, Imp Trail, Imp Connector, Route 16 |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 23, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Nabbed one of the last spots around 7:45. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Mostly snowbridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One stepover near the start of Nineteen Mile Brook. I think I recollect a duck under south of South Carter. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Snowshoes all day with the exception of the Route 16 road walk. Don't be deceived by what it looks like on the drive up or the parking lot; the mountains now have winter snowpack and it is building with each minor snowfall.
Nineteen Mile Brook Trail was fairly well packed. Maybe a foot of snow at the trailhead, but two feet at the Carter Dome Trail junction. Smooth sailing on snowshoes.
Carter Dome Trail up to Zeta Pass was broken out, but not well packed. Unfortunately a parasitic postholer descended last yesterday, leaving a bit of a mess. Three feet of snow at Zeta Pass.
Deeper snow on the way up to Carter Dome; generally three feet with a few stretches four feet deep. Blazes at knee level in places with the trail actively drifting in more. Noted one or two sets of snowshoe tracks doing the loop over Mt. Hight; no trough established. Unfortunately on the way back to Zeta Pass, a Massachusetts Microspiker was leaving postholes (and urinated on the trail).
Soft going over to South Carter as well. Some active drifting between South and Middle, including a knee deep drift (despite recent traffic). Cold and windy in the exposed areas on either side of Middle. No recent tracks heading north beyond the North Carter Trail junction.
North Carter Trail was fairly smooth sailing (much nicer than the eroded mess it has become without snow) with a good snowshoe track. Unfortunately there were a few barebooters attempting to climb up it and leaving a bit of a mess behind. No idea how they fared with the deeper snow and drifts on the ridge, if they made it that far.
Plenty of snow on Imp Trail at this point. Decent snowshoe track set with no bony stretches. Smooth sailing on the Imp Connector to Camp Dodge as well.
Chilly where exposed to the wind, but otherwise fairly reasonable with temperatures in the single digits to teens. Partly sunny skies were appreciated. Looks like some snow during the day along the US 2 corridor, but missed this area. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-01-23 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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