| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Liberty, Mt. Flume, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Whitehouse Trail, Liberty Spring Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, March 18, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Around 10 cars at Liberty Springs lot when I left. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All easily managed with whatever your choice of traction you had on, but conditions are changing rapidly. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Encountered 8-12 blowdowns from this season, none of which posed any serious obstacle. On Liberty Springs, before the split for the Flume Slide, there were three relatively new blowdowns spanning the trail. The first you could easily step over, the second you could easily step under, and the third obligingly gave you your choice of method to navigate. Just below this third blowdown, there was a really impressive widowmaker straddling the trail about 25 feet up. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Beautiful day to wind down the season. There had been an overnight freeze as low as the lot, but it was over 60 in the lot when I left, and things certainly softened up over the course of the day at all elevations. Because of the stretches of bare ground down low, I barebooted until just past the split for Flume Slide. After a brief section of water running down a bare trail, I put on snowshoes, wearing them until I got back to the same spot. They didn't ball up at all, gripped the wet snow well, and the televators were really nice for the steeper parts of the climb. THANKS ZIPPY!!! Enjoyed 360 views in mild temps with very light winds on the summits.
It was generally deep and consistent snow on Franconia Ridge south of Liberty Springs, soft but with firm footing, especially with snowshoes. There was of course bare rock on both summits, but the snow was otherwise quite consistent. Going north from the Liberty Springs junction, there was very little sign of travel on Franconia Ridge heading over to Lincoln/ Lafayette. I saw one set of deep postholes going in that direction, and that was about it.
On Liberty Summit, I encountered two young men who had tentative plans to traverse to Flume and descend the Slide Trail - in microspikes. They'd heard that maybe that wasn't such a good idea, and I assured them that it was definitely was not. So they joined the big herd of happy hikers, me among them, traversing out and back to Flume, making the safe descent down Liberty Springs. |
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 | Name: |
Vane |
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 | E-Mail: |
cables617 at gmail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-03-18 |
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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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