| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bald Knob, Turtleback Mountain, Mt. Shaw, Black Snoot, Big Ball Mountain, Little Ball Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bald Knob Trail, Turtleback Mountain Trail, High Ridge Trail, Black Snout Trail, Banana Trail, road walk |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 15, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
None at 8:45am on arrival at Bald Knob Tr. parking along Rt. 171. 1 other on return at 2:15pm and 1 pulling in as I left. Side note, the Italian Trail parking lot was pretty full as I walk through it at 2pm. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Some minor flooding over Bald Knob Tr. about .2 in. Easily navigated. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Fairly large Spruce blowdown shortly after descending Black Snout on the Italian Trail. Took some ducking and climbing to get through the maze. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Had not seen any recent reviews of Shaw so brought snowshoes, just in case. No need for them. Barebooted to Turtleback Mt. and put spikes on at summit. Kept them on until the intersection of Italian and Mt. Shaw trails. Bald Knob Tr. There were several areas of a light dusting of snow over ice that were either avoidable or easily walked over from parking lot to Turtleback summit and back to the Intersection of Bald Knob Tr. From that intersection, trail consisted of about an inch or two of unconsolidated powder under a crunchy surface that had been broken up by several barebooters. The short spur to High Ridge from Turtleback Mt. Tr had not seen any recent traffic, just a faint hint of a snowshoe track in the 1-3” of unconsolidated powder under that crunchy surface. Upon hitting HRT, the track was mostly firm from previous bareboot traffic. The path up to Shaw’s summit was hardpacked and fast. Black Snout Tr. was similar to Turtleback Mt. Tr.. Italian trail presented the most challenging hiking of the entire route. Some blue ice, black ice, hard packed trail and bony conditions were all found. This was a wonderful 12 mile hike and the views all along the way were outstanding, particularly from the summit of Shaw. The view North of the Sandwich Range and the Southern Presi’s with Mt. Washington in all white looming in the background was extraordinary. |
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 | Name: |
Mark |
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 | E-Mail: |
wapacked@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-01-15 |
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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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