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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Little Haystack Mountain, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lafayette, NH
Trails
Trails: Falling Waters Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Friday, April 29, 2022
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Around a dozen cars parked at Falling Waters trailhead. What little snow had accumulated recently had been plowed away completely. I was genuinely surprised to see how much more snow had fallen at higher elevations.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Mud - Minor/Avoidable 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: All easily managed today; conditions will definitely get more interesting with warming temps forecast for 5/1 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Most important thing to note here is a widowmaker on Falling Waters approximately 2.75 miles from the trailhead. The tree itself is only 4-5" in diameter, but it's on the trail itself and poised to fall any second along the length of the trail. It was creaking and popping with every puff of wind, with a clearly visible crack through the trunk expanding as the tree swayed. Another user and I tried to end the risk and tip it over with a final nudge, but it was determined to hang on for an opportunity to topple on an unsuspecting target. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: One happy pooch traversing south on Franconia Ridge. I was actually happy not to see hundreds of yellow patches on the fresh snow. 
Bugs
Bugs: Not today 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Insanely beautiful wintry spring day in Franconia. Forecast was cloudy, but visibility ended up being outstanding. 32 degrees in the lot at 9AM, and the sun warmed things up considerably at low elevation. I went with spikes straight out of the lot given the inch or so of fresh snow at the start of the trail, and they were helpful for a few slightly icy spots in the shade on Falling Waters. Above Cloudland Falls, after the last stream crossing, the snow deepened, with 4-6" of soft new snow tracked up by a half dozen or so users. I was glad to switch to snowshoes all the way to the ridge, which of course had been scoured by 30-35 mph winds. Went back to spikes and was able to enjoy 360 views as long as I leaned into the wind. On most of the ridge, I could identify two sets of tracks that combined to one for a few scattered postholing sections, and I crossed paths with other users traversing south or making out and back trips on Falling Waters or Old Bridle Path, including a young bickering French Canadian couple who had made it past Greenleaf Hut in cotton sweatpants. They enquired about route options, and I advised them to make their journey an out and back route rather than the looping ridge traverse.

As Greenleaf Trail entered the krumholz below Lafayette's summit, the snow was consistently 6-8" deep, so I went back to snowshoes until the final 1.5 miles or so of Old Bridle Path, which I easily barebooted as the snow petered out and gave way to occasional patches of mud. 40 degrees in the lot at 3PM.

 
Name
Name: Vane 
E-Mail
E-Mail: cables617 at gmail 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2022-04-29 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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