Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Lethe, Middle Carter, South Carter, Carter Dome, NH |
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| Trails: |
Imp Trail, North Carter Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Nineteen Mile Brook Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 26, 2021 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
About 6-8 cars at 19mi brook trailhead, friends car was the only one at imp south trailhead |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
All partial snowbridges, frozen rock hops |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns and step arounds to clean up |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
N/A |
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| Bugs: |
N/A |
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| Lost and Found: |
N/A |
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| Comments: |
Broke out the bottom mile of the south branch of Imp trail and wore crampons from the trailhead to about the top of the top switchback at about 3500' on Carter Dome trail. Then wore hillsound spikes to the car; swapped due to mellowing grades and return to bony trail conditions with decreasing elevation. Ran into 9 people today, all but 1 on Carter Dome. Decided to do the loop south to be able to go up all the tricky ledges on Lethe, Middle Carter, and South Carter and also ended up having the wind at my back, an added bonus! Lots of bony conditions with many exposed rocks and roots below 4000', tedious foot placement up Imp Tr and North Carter Tr, better on the Carter Dome and 19mi brook side but still rough. The ridge is in great shape pretty much everywhere except for the short steep section on the south face of South Carter which is often one of the boniest spots on the ridge. Semi-drifted climbing over Lethe and was very raw exposed to the wind on those ledges. The rocks and roots are pretty well buried but not completely and bog bridges are lethal as I caught crampon teeth on puncheon edges several times and almost ate it every time. From Zeta Pass up to Carter Dome summit is by far the best stretch of trail with the rocks almost completely buried. Lots of fluffy powder everywhere from the snowfall event yesterday on the ridge and the next storm could bury the ugly rocks and roots |
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| Name: |
Heat Lightning |
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| E-Mail: |
ecs@mountainlogworks.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-12-26 |
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| Link: |
https:// |
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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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