| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Whiteface, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Blueberry Ledge Trail, Rollins Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 12, 2023 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Ferncroft Road is icy, but the parking area was plowed and relatively ice-free. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The water crossing was not frozen but was easily passable using the log. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails were all in very nice shape. We didn't come across a single blowdown. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Blueberry Ledge is not a good trail for dogs because of the ledges/scrambles near the summit, and we didn't see any dogs on it. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Lots of snow fleas. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
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|
 | Comments: |
We needed microspikes for the walk from the parking area to the trailhead as Ferncroft Road was covered in a thick layer of ice. We hiked to Whiteface's summit on the Blueberry Ledge Trail wearing the microspikes, which were all we needed because the trail was well packed and solid. The ledges near the summit had good snow cover, but due to the warm temperatures and sun the snow was rapidly melting and water was pooling up in places. Freeze/thaw conditions may cause these areas to develop a layer of ice (a few spots already were ice-covered but we were able to get around them), so crampons might be needed for safety.
We switched to snowshoes at the summit for the Rollins Trail. It had deep snow cover that was getting pretty mushy due to the warm day, so the snowshoes were very helpful. There were a few nasty postholes on Rollins, but not many.
We kept the snowshoes on until we got to the water crossing on Dicey's Mill, as the conditions on Dicey's at the higher elevations were pretty much the same as on Rollins. Dicey's Mill also had a few pretty deep postholes. We switched back to microspikes before crossing the brook on the log. After the crossing, the snow cover was pretty thin, with a few spots down to bare ground, so we were able to keep the microspikes on until we got back to the parking area. |
|
 | Name: |
HikerMouse |
|
 | E-Mail: |
emilienoelle@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-02-13 |
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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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