Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Whiteface, NH |
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| Trails: |
Blueberry Ledge Trail, Rollins Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, November 28, 2021 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
2 cars at Ferncroft at 6:30 AM, about 15 cars at 12:30 PM (still room for a few more). |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
Conveniently-located tree across the Dicey's Mill stream crossing. Microspikes gripped this nicely, and my mediocre balancing skills were enough to keep me out of the water. |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
2 significant blowdowns on the Blueberry Ledge Trail, about 0.2 miles up from the McCrillis Path junction. The first of these took some forethought and agility to climb over. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
Ascending the Blueberry Ledge scrambles would have been a tall order with today's somewhat slippery conditions. |
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| Bugs: |
None. |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
Cold day with light winds and blue skies in the morning; fantastic views from the Whiteface ledges. Microspikes were definitely needed (and sufficient) from the beginning of the open slabs, about 1.5 miles up the Blueberry Ledge Trail. Snow cover was trace to 1" all the way to the Whiteface south summit, 2-3" across sections of the Rollins Trail, and again minimal on Dicey's Mill Trail (we went straight down from the Rollins Trail, and did not attempt to summit Passaconaway). Unfortunately, there isn't nearly enough cover for snowshoes yet. The Blueberry Ledge scrambles were more challenging than usual, due to a non-adherent coating of loose snow, and a few icy patches. Still, this was completely feasible with microspikes. Rollins also had a few pitches of ice to watch out for on the steeper sections of descent. Dicey's Mill was an easy and well-maintained trip down; the spikes came off after the stream crossing.
Check out an expanding collection of hike descriptions (with a few bicycle hillclimbs thrown in for good measure) at Unnecessary Climb! |
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| Name: |
Jason |
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| E-Mail: |
kurlando7@hotmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-11-28 |
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| Link: |
https://unnecessaryclimb.wordpress.com |
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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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