| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bondcliff, Mt. Bond, West Bond, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lincoln Woods Trail, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, January 30, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty on a weekday at Lincoln Woods, bit icy but otherwise fine |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues - easy rock hops for the larger one on lower Bondcliff and the lower two of Black Brook (though spikes advised as ice is present), upper two of Black Brook completely bridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Typical handful of winter blowdowns throughout but nothing too troublesome. LOTS of leaners and bent over trees between Bond and West Bond, this section will need some extra love in the spring. No issues following any trails, all signage looked good. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Maddie had a great day and is a well conditioned hiker for a long winter hike like this. I leashed her at all the usual spots around Bondcliff for her own safety. No other specific dog hazards noted. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Out and back of the Bonds from Lincoln Woods - Lincoln Woods trail well packed as expected but spikes still best from the parking lot. The track slowly got choppier beyond Osseo and on to Bondcliff trail where it narrows but nothing too bad. The occasional posthole started showing up after the big left turn but if you stayed in the center of the track there were no issues, and it was still choppy with the occasional seeping stream down low where we felt snowshoes would have been more problematic. Snowshoes came on and stayed on between the third and the fourth crossings of Black Brook right below the steep section (where the stone staircase is) - mountaineering snowshoes got much better grip than spikes here, and the trail was less choppy with a bit more unconsolidated snow where it made for much more efficient travel. Snowshoes stayed on until the same spot on the way down - even though the summit of Bondcliff is often times better done with spikes, there were enough spots with unconsolidated powder, crusty snow that you would break through with spikes, and so few rocks showing that keeping snowshoes on made the most sense. Nothing really in the way of trail breaking, everything easy to follow and faster travel to the peaks and back with snowshoes, but snowshoes and spikes still strongly recommended if tackling these in the next few days. Sadly we were just below the cloud line so no views, but minimal wind and comfy temps all day. Saw only three other people including two friendly people we crossed paths with a few times on the way out who did the same hike. Long day but as always a good one - congrats Ali on gridding out January. |
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 | Name: |
Hikes with Maddie |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-01-31 |
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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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