| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Garfield, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Gale River Road, Garfield Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 11, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking lot is thick ice with a layer of water over the top: by tomorrow it will be tricky. When we arrived there were two cars already parked, and we were joined by 8 more, which is pretty good for that lot |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Water crossings are blown, unfortunately. As in “a river runs through it”. But on the plus side, the water isn’t deep, and there are enough large rocks to carefully navigate to the other side of the two largest crossings |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few step-overs and 3 duck-unders |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
One Neufy-Great Pyrenees mix named Pancake in the parking lot that was so sweet I could have pet him forever! |
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 | Bugs: |
None seen, probably drowned after yesterday’s deluge |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Men’s Black sweatshirt on the trailhead sign |
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|
 | Comments: |
After yesterday’s rain and summer temps, we set the bar low for trail conditions, but were pleasantly surprised! While the road walk in was a mix of granular snow and slush, and the first mile of trail was an icy, 1 inch monorail, the rest of the trail was firm enough for microspikes until around 3500 feet. Every 100m or so we encountered postholes, but only a few in the center of the trail. Most folks yesterday definitely wore snowshoes! We switched to snowshoes once we encountered “beach sand” (and I’m a sucker for televators when it comes to steeps!”), but several other folks made it fine in just their spikes without postholing. Had a chance to chat with the incredible Andrew Soares, who dusted EVERYBODY in just Hokas (no spikes!). There are several spots about 4.5-5 miles in where you encounter bare trail and have to maneuver on a thin strip of mushy snow. The .2 mile scramble is a white sidewalk and solid, no postholes except on the sides, and STEEEEEP. So steep that no one buttsled for fear of a bad time lol. The summit “square” was accessible since most of the thick ice was leveled by the warm temps and rain, so only a thin bit of rime ice present. By the end of the day the temps warmed up, and the trail for the last 2 miles was a bit rototillered by a large group that swapped out of their snowshoes too soon on the descent. Tomorrow with dropping temps should firm it up a bit! |
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 | Name: |
islandgirl |
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 | E-Mail: |
joannhall4@aol.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-02-11 |
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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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