| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Falling Waters Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 7, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room this morning at 7, though the lot was only half plowed. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Fairly solidly snow bridged (though it looks like a barebooter or two postholed through). |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I recollect at least one duck under on OBP and one stepover on FWT, the latter not too far from the bridge. |
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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 roundtrip. Especially with the weather coming in, it's not worth risking going above treeline without them (see the recent helicopter rescue off Lafayette a few days ago because the folks reportedly lost the trail and ended up in deep drifts without snowshoes).
Old Bridle Path was nice packed powder conditions. Good snowshoe trough. Would have been too soft to boot without living behind divets and postholes.
Greenleaf Trail from the hut to the summit was generally snow covered with a few brief bony areas. The sideslope before the summit is mostly frozen granular, so snowshoes were perfect for this no-fall-zone. Strongest winds of the day were just before and just after this section. Active drifting as well, quickly wiping out tracks.
Surprisingly good snow cover from Lafayette to Lincoln. A bit of a snow field forming off Lafayette and on the north side of Truman; better snow cover than I've seen up here in recent winters. A couple of areas of brief exposure with sideslopes filled in above slides. Slides on the west side of the ridge look to have filled in well, but the Lincoln slide on the east side of the ridge still looks very rocky. Active drifting along this stretch of the Franconia Ridge Trail with some deeper drifts in the scrub sections.
A little bony coming off the south side of Lincoln, but decent going thereafter.
Falling Waters Trail was a little bit choppy from inexperienced, late start, Massachusetts Microspikers. Many not well equipped and not even sure where they were going. One brief area of blue ice (along the cliff near the falls). Snow started falling around noontime.
Generally about 2 to 3 feet of snowpack below treeline with a few deeper drifts. Above treeline is generally not as deep, except in certain pockets. Nice brief window of weather this morning with occasional sun. Other than a few short stretches, the wind wasn't too bad. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-02-07 |
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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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