| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Moose Mountain - North Peak, Holts Ledge, Smarts Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Wolfeboro Road, bushwhack, Moose Mountain Trail, Holts Ledge Trail, Dorchester Road, Lambert Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 24, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at my house:) |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy rock hops |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Huge amounts of small/medium branches and trees down on all trails. Top mile or two of Lambert Ridge was the worst spot. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Wouldn’t take a dog on the summit cone of Smarts right now. Dangerous icy conditions |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Generic black micro spike hanging from tree on Wolfeboro Rd at Harris Trail intersection |
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 | Comments: |
28 mile out and back on the AT from my house to Smarts fire tower this morning and I didn’t encounter another soul out there! Small amounts of avoidable ice along the way until summit cone of Smarts. Treacherous intermittent ice. Lots of bare ground mixed in makes traction a tough choice. Rock spikes wouldn’t get good bite in spots and sharp spikes will get mangled. There were three long, steep ice flow sections where nothing less than legit mountaineering crampons would be inadequate. I love to live dangerously so I never put my sharp hillsound ultras on and instead utilized all my fanciest footwork and cat-like reflexes/agility to dance around the ice in my trail runners. I barely managed it and should have just mangled my spikes to be safe. Unless you bring full traction those few spots will require you to be the dreaded trail creep! My advice would be to just not hike the top of Smarts right now!!! |
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 | Name: |
Spence |
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 | E-Mail: |
stormyweatherholt@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-12-24 |
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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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