| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Teapot Mountain, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Snowmobile trail, logging roads, bushwhack |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 23, 2022 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Park at the start of the gated road continuing SE where Meriden Hill Rd turns NE (again). Meriden Hill Rd is well plowed and suitable for any vehicle. The place where I parked is doable getting in/out of with just FWD and no snow tires. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No blowdowns on the roads |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure but I’d be very careful in the snowmobile trails |
|
 | Bugs: |
None |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Day 84, Peak 77. 2nd hike of the day after Van Dyck Mountain. I started hiking around 11:45am in the high-teens. Mostly cloudy and it looked like we could get some snow. Wind was beginning to pick up some too. I was supposed to do this hike yesterday with someone but she wound up doing it by herself when my car wouldn’t start in the morning. She was kind enough to still break it out so another friend and I took advantage of this.
I walked the snowmobile trail for about 1/2mi before bearing right uphill, onto an old logging road (only snowshoe tracks on it). I followed this road for maybe 2/3-3/4mi before the snowshoe tracks I was following turned right off the road and began the bushwhack. Just before this, the road turned left and some snowshoe tracks continued ahead on a rougher road but turned around. False start. After the initial fight through thick young growth next yo the road, I worked my way up at a moderate grade through open hardwoods, following the northern ridge of a NW knob of Teapot. Before too long, I caught up to my friend who had started shortly before me. We trudged onward, following the snowshoe track of my friend the day before. My friend soon bore right away from the ridge a little above 2000ft and found an old logging or skidder road that followed above the drainage at an east grade. This road eventually ended (it was good walking while it lasted) and we hiked steeply up out of the ravine to the NW ridge of Teapot. I was glad to not be breaking out this section!
We were happy to hit the ridge and enjoy some flatter walking. We went over a hardly distinguishable little 2800ft knob, down into a minor saddle/col, and continued on these easy grades for maybe 1/4mi total before we came to a blowdown patch. The tracks from yesterday make there way carefully around the blowdown patch. Unfortunately, this also marks the start of the steep climb up to Teapot which was maybe another 1/4mi (and gaining almost 400ft). We never had to go through very thick stuff as the path laid down yesterday went around everything which we liked :)
We signed into the register, and made our way down the same way as it began to snow, lightly at first, as expected, then harder to the point where the roads weren’t great for the drive home. Given that snow and the snow yesterday, our tracks may be mostly covered now but it had seen a total of 6 tracks over 2 days! The hike was 5.5-6mi with about 2050-2100tt of gain. 281 more days and 288 more peaks to go… |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2022-01-26 |
|
 | 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. |
|
