Lost Pass (attempt) - Old Snows Brook Trail, bushwhack - 12-23-2021

Hiking Trail Conditions Report
	Peaks	Lost Pass (attempt), NH

	Trails:	Old Snows Brook Trail, bushwhack

	Date of Hike:	Thursday, December 23, 2021

	Parking/Access Road Notes:

	Surface Conditions:	Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder

	Recommended Equipment:	Snowshoes, Light Traction

	Water Crossing Notes:

	Trail Maintenance Notes:

	Dog-Related Notes:

	Bugs:

	Lost and Found:


	Comments:	Iâ€™ve read about ascending to Lost Pass via the abandoned Snows Brook Trail, which is best done in winter. J and I were planning to adventure in the whites today, but we werenâ€™t feeling like summiting a big peak and wanted to stay lowâ€”seemed like a perfect time to explore LP. There was just enough snow to wear snowshoes, but you can hike here with just micros if you'd like (for now). We started at the Waterville Valley Athletic Club parking lot, and followed XC ski trails until we were alongside Snows Brook itself, at which point we crossed the brook, according to the 1930 USGS topo map with the trail actually on it. We popped onto a FS road and stayed on that until it turned to go down the gully to the north. Now it was true bushwhacking time!! We did a bit of scrambling but soon found the trailâ€”itâ€™s an old logging road so nice and wide. Soon we came to a small clearing where there used to be a logging camp. Lots of artifacts here, including some rusty cans, buckets, and a cellar hole. After this section, we started to see orange blazes on the trees, so we followed those. Most of the time the trail was very evident. Then we came to trail's end at 2700', as others wrote about. We continued to see the orange blazes, so we continued to follow--until we were basically in a bog, with dense spruce traps on either side. I had a route plotted on Gaia that I thought we could connect to, but man, snowshoeing through a snow-caked spruce trap full of blowdowns and boulders was not easy work. I was leading and doing a lot of problem solving. J was following and spent more time than me thinking about light, temperature, and our physical comfort. When she pointed out that we went 0.02 miles in 20 minutes of bushwhacking, we knew it was time to get back to the comfort of the true (abandoned) trail. We did not retrace our steps here. We eventually made it back to the trail and booked it back down to the logging camp--my feet were very cold from not really moving, and my snowshoe bindings were beginning to dig into my feet. Stopped to switch to microspikes on the way to the camp and felt much better. We snacked and hydrated in the sunlight of the logging camp. We continued to gain speed and descend descend descend, and even found a piece of trail that we overlooked on the way up, which made for much easier footing. We decided not to cross the brook where we did earlier, and instead took the long way home on XC ski trails that led to a bridge over Snows Brook. Now that I'm home and warming up and reflecting, I'm remembering that others have written of swinging south and up to 2900' onto Flat Mtn North might have worked for us. It's a more mixed forest so less spruce traps. You can see the difference in the forest composition via satellite maps. But hey, the mountains (and the passes) will always be there!! Legs are feeling good, and it was a beautiful day to get out and explore. Here's a link to my GPS track so you know two ways NOT to go once you get above 2700': https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/8000978925 Some Lost Pass reading for you if you're not familiar: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FW7rYo1p5qYBuUcfnXZhej89n50tmM79hHmkOlQmol4/edit http://mountainwandering.blogspot.com/2019/12/lost-pass-121319.html http://www.goingofftrail.com/?p=483 https://newenglandtrailconditions.com/nh/viewreport.php?entryid=45759 https://newenglandtrailconditions.com/nh/viewreport.php?entryid=51343 https://newenglandtrailconditions.com/nh/viewreport.php?entryid=27793

	Name:	CK-JB

	E-Mail:

	Date Submitted:	2021-12-24

	Link:	https://
		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.