| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Passaconaway (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Oliverian Brook Trail, Passaconaway Cutoff |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, February 16, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Oliverian Brook parking lot plowed but a bit icy |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy enough rock hops... looks like at least a few snow bridges have melted or been washed away |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Good sized spruce fell into the trail right at the wilderness boundary sign- passable to the side but will definitely need attention when the snow melts and exposes the trunk. Tangled mess of (at least) 3 good sized hardwoods across the trail on Passaconaway Cutoff about 0.2 from the Oliverian Brook junction- passable by straddling. Lost count of "buried blowdowns," most are barely noticeable at this point, but will be stepovers when the snow melts. Took care of a few smaller blowdowns along the way |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Lost my motivation to continue on with this sufferfest when the rain started. If you happen to find it, let me know! |
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 | Comments: |
Trail conditions were overall pretty awful tonight. Tracked, but not packed. Crusty, with soft mashed potatoes underneath- sometimes I'd manage to stay on top of the crust, other times I'd sink 4-6 inches deep. No telling when you'd break through or not, and seems like the majority of traffic the trail has seen is from XC/BC skis- so the packed trail under the crusty top layer is exceptionally narrow- when you do break through the crust, you've got about a 50/50 shot of hitting the edge of the packed trail and rolling an ankle sideways, or missing the packed part underneath altogether and sinking shin deep, even with snowshoes on... to top it all off, the first part of the trail had sections that were riddled with postholes, varying in depth from only ankle-deep to nearly mid-thigh deep. Fortunately, it seems like Postholio gave up pretty quickly- after about a mile in, the only visible tracks were either ski or snowshoe. |
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 | Name: |
Zippy |
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 | E-Mail: |
hikerzippy@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-02-17 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0dzCz9xkvrv8evkz5w69GqiWcFiiEYwE5sbRLGNdyeHQHLATf6FrZfQ6DbueK5rdBl&id=100090016732656 |
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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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