| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Prospect (Holderness), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Unnamed trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, January 26, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Snowbanks are back, so there's very little room to park and no overflow. Have a plan B. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
A bit high and slushing over; pretty tricky to get across (noted at least one person went in). |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail-blocking blowdown near the summit that can be cut with a folding saw (didn't have mine with me). |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Know that look someone has after destroying a public restroom? I saw that coupled with "snowshoes would be useful." Unfortunately, this wasn't the quintessential Microspiker peeing on the toilet seat with occasional postholes and divots. Rather, this was #2 all over the toilet seat.
We picked up a few inches of snow last night, followed by some heavy rain (net snow accumulation), which then had a moistening effect on the existing snowpack.
The first half of the trail featured a single set of roundtrip postholes that often went through all of the snow and into underlying slush. I wasn't able to fix much of this with my snowshoes, and unfortunately the temperature is dropping like a rock right now, so get ready for ankle twisting for the foreseeable future.
Postholes continued to the summit and around the loop. I was able to repair some of the damage, and opted to go out-and-back to avoid the rest of the postholes. There is a slight breakable crust on the upper half of the mountain.
With only my snowshoes (and the single set of postholes) on the upper mountain, the footbed will not be firm enough to support boot traffic when the temperatures are much lower tomorrow. Snowshoes will be the way to go, particularly if you know some of the secret trails to avoid the mess.
If you want to walk in Microspikes, there are plenty of icy sidewalks to choose from. Mountains are meant for snowshoes and skis this time of year. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-01-26 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos/ |
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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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