| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Catalouchee Mountain - North Peak, Catalouchee Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Orange Cove Trail, snowmobile trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, January 22, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Room for 2 vehicles at the plowed lot for Mt Cardigan State Forest, at the end of New Colony |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All bridged on the snomo trail, snowbridged and solid once off-trail |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All good |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Bears are VERY active in these hills. Please do not allow off-leash dogs to startle bears - or any wildlife for that matter. |
|
 | Bugs: |
None |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Began at the end of New Colony Road, snowshoes immediately as to not tear up the freshly compacted trail corridor, thanks to the single sled who had come through compacting from TH to snomo network! Unfortunately a barebooter had come through and tore up this stretch - 4-6" divots left down the middle of the trail, hence why I bushwhack, I have no patience for this behavior on winter trails.
Snowmobile corridors were compact and efficient as ever, snowshoes on these trails as well as to not tear up the surface - foot traffic does not have to be permitted on snowmobile corridors, might as well show a little respect. Following the Hood Trail, I eventually favored bushwhacking through open woods toward my objective instead of following groomed trails for a lengthier approach.
Snow off trail was supportive, the old boilerplate, crusty layer still clearly discernable beneath the 5-8" fresh powder from last Tuesday. This delineation between layers makes for a slick descent, poles may be beneficial. I could even see this becoming a cause for avi hazard on steep slopes without a tight forest to lock the slope somewhat in place.
The bushwhack up North Peak was totally open hardwoods to start with a petite summit cap of conifer; the main Catalouchee Mountain was similar in this regard - evergreen summit cap with a fringe of tight, young spruce-fir bordering the cap. Most boughs are not snow loaded until reaching ~2,300' or so. No problem finding the old salsa jar, I saw Cookies On Top was up there two days prior, I must have found their ascending tracks, when I saw them veer too far (for my taste) west, I opted to clamber straight up the mountain, mostly on the front points of the snowshoe crampons. The descent was loose and slick on top of that solid, ice-crust layer with 5-8" of powder on top.
Saw fresh bear tracks from earlier that morning while climbing to meet the north ridge of Catalouchee Mountain. Following the extreme eastern edge of the ridge, I found highly pleasant strolling as the woods remained open. Several instances I found evidence of old logging, surrounding were seas of dense hobblebush - the waist-deep varietal.
Swinging around the high ridgecrest, I found myself in the most stunning forest while trekking across the col to reach the main summit bump. Guarding this high point, I met the second place of the morning where I would have to plunge into, and through tall, bushy balsam. Similar to the North Peak, inside of the scrappy moat of entangled spruce-fir, the forest once again opened up to encourage swift off-trail travel. Locating the high point was not difficult at all. Initially, I misinterpreted the packed area from the previous whackers as a stomped out moose bed, luckily I was alone atop Catalouchee!
Opting for an easy descent, I followed the previous trekkers snowshoe track. Swinging around several stands of fir, into and through a dense spruce bough, the track meandered gently downslope, toward the snowmobile track below. As I was descending into the sun here, the ice-covered branches sparkled in the morning sun, what a sight!
Back on the snowmobile corridor, I popped out essentially at the height-of-land, and ran the 1.5-miles or so back to the trailhead. |
|
 | Name: |
Erik Hamilton |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ehamilton9481@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2024-01-23 |
|
 | Link: |
 https://www.atalkinthewoods.com/trail-reports/catalouchee-mountains |
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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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