| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Passaconaway, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Oliverian Brook Trail, Passaconaway Cutoff, Square Ledge Trail, Walden Trail, Dicey’s Mill Trail, East Loop |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 21, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Oliverian Brook trailhead lot off NH 112. This lot is plowed only enough to allow 4 cars to park. At the end of the summer lot is a kiosk, no privy. Free parking. Thank you for even plowing this small segment!! |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The tributary to Oliverian Brook on the Passaconaway Cutoff was accomplished on an infant ice bridge and 0.5 inch submersion of snowshoes on exposed rocks. These rocks are really pebbles by New Hampshire standards but they did the trick. I jumped and jumped on all snow/ ice coverings and they help my gear laden 170 LBS. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dogs would be fine on these trails. No obstacles for them to negotiate now. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
Oliverian Brook > Passaconaway Cuttoff > Square Ledge > Walden Trail > Dicey’s Mill > East Trail > Walden Trail > Square Ledge > Passaconaway Cutoff > Oliverian Brook.
Snowshoes car to car.
Oliverian Brook: this trial is initially blazed in blue diamonds as it shares trail with a cross country ski trail. After the junction with the ski trail, the trail is not blazed. This was my 9th iteration here so I was familiar with the terrain. One brave snowshoe soul broke trail descending. Those were the only tracks we saw in the morning. Upon our return in the afternoon, some adventurous skiers had tried the lower portions of trail. There was one person in spikes who left numerous postholes along the last 0.5 miles of trail. Due to the frigid temps in the AM, snow was supportive, but there is no definitive trench established as it was just our three sets of prints. Snowshoes highly encouraged on this lesser used winter approach trail.
Passaconaway Cutoff: not blazed that I recall. Very simple to follow. Snow increasing in depth and styrofoam quality (powder on top of frozen crust). I focused on alternating my snowshoe steps with the person that went prior to try to continue the trail breaking effort. Snow was like sand but the grade is forgiving. My hiking partner tried to fill in the gaps behind me.
Square Ledge: snow increasing in depth further, but we made a dent with the help of the prior trekker’s footsteps. This trail is very steep in parts. No issues in snowshoes. No blazes. No ice. All rocks covered (thank goodness!!). Corridor simple to discern.
Walden: this trail is blazed in blue. Again, only the one set of snowshoe prints were on the trail so no trench established. We flung ourselves, pulled and crawled up that steep son of a gun. No ice encountered. All rocks and ledges covered in a nice snow blanket. Corridor simple to discern in the tight trees.
Dicey’s Mill: boy, after hours of solitude on the prior trails, we were greeted with a summit party! Probably 30 persons on Passy’s summit. All but one were in snowshoes. Let me say that again so that I can rejoice; all but one person on that summit was in snowshoes. The result? A packed super highway!!! After freezing tonight the trail should be set up nicely. Thank you to everyone (including the group of trail runners) for wearing snowshoes! No ice encountered, just fast smooth trail.
East trail: completely unbroken. My hiking partner and I broke this out. Snow levels around a foot on that portion. Not blazed but simple to follow.
Thank you, CptChris for your funny trail report about Dicey’s Mill and Rollins. I’m sincerely hopeful that your report had some influence on the amazing snowshoe response by Passy hikers today. They made such a wonderful trail today on Dicey’s Mill. Classic NH snow sidewalk!!
Now, would others like to take on Oliverian and the Cutoff? Wink, wink. Smile. Gad that would be so nice to encounter in Feb when I head up there. Again… |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-01-21 |
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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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