| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Square Ledge, Mt. Passaconaway, Nanamocomuck Peak, Wonalancet Hedgehog, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Oliverian Brook Trail, Square Ledge Branch Trail, Square Ledge Trail, Walden Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail, East Loop, Lawrence Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, February 6, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Oliverian Brook Trailhead is not totally plowed out like in the good 'ol days, so it's an extra 0.1 to the real trailhead. There is room for maybe a half dozen cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Water levels are low. All crossings were easy although a couple did require flexibility and finesse. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Almost the entire hike was within the Sandwich Range Wilderness, so paint blazes are scarce. A few blowdowns here and there, normal for this time of year, nothing horrendous. On the eastern portion of Square Ledge Trail, someone in front of me carried a saw and cut a couple of trees out of the way. Thanks! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This was a beautiful, ~16.5 mile solo hike. Saw only one person all day, and that was on Passaconaway. Pleasantly surprised to see prior foot traffic (including those of bear!) on most of these trails. 4 degrees at the trailhead but warmed up quickly to another lovely day. Later on, snow was downright sticky in the sun. Description/comments in the order I hiked:
Oliverian Brook Trail to and including Square Ledge Branch Trail was packed out well, and I was able to bareboot without causing damage to the track. Impressive views of sunny Square Ledge through the leafless trees! Snowshoes went on at Square Ledge Trail. Televators were much appreciated on the steeper sections. At one point I missed a switchback and got onto some sketchy cliffy terrain but realized my error and corrected.
Passaconaway Cutoff to Walden had some postholes but was okay in snowshoes (definitely the way to go on these lesser used winter trails). Took Walden up to Passaconaway summit (steep!), then Dicey's and East Loop back to Walden.
I then took the very un-boring and super sporty Walden Trail over Nanamocomuck and Wonalancet Hedgehog to the Four Way. This is a fun trail if you like wicked steep ups and downs and moments of head scratching pondering "How am I gonna get down THAT?" Fortunately, I had mostly cooperative snow that mostly held up underneath my snowshoes; however, there were a few instances of facing-in downclimbing and hanging onto trees and other forms of creative maneuvering. Portions of this trail had an old snowshoe track going in the opposite direction.
At the Four Way, I did the 2.2 mile out-and-back (because Bluelining) of eastern Square Ledge Trail. This trail is easy, passing through nice hardwoods, and I was lucky to follow fresh snowshoe and old ski tracks here - a good thing since the the unblazed trail in open woods would have required lots of GPS'ing. The person or persons I was following definitely knew the route!
Back up at the Four Way, I continued 0.3 on Lawrence to Oliverian Brook Trail and took that all the way back to the Kanc, following ski tracks on the upper section. More nice hardwoods in there.
Thankful for the great conditions and beautiful environs! |
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 | Name: |
Snowflea |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-02-07 |
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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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