| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Little Haystack Mountain, Mt Lincoln, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lafayette, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Falling Waters Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 3, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Main parking almost full at 8:30. Parking lot mix of black ice and bare ground. Lafayette camp overflow utilized upon return at 2pm. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All Bridged for this one. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Some easily avoidable blow downs on Falling Waters and Old Bridal Path that look pretty fresh. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw some offleash dogs trampling vegetation on ridge. Yes, there's been enough melt for vegatation to reappear and appears to be starting to grow. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
First the deets. Snowshoes went for a ride. The trail wasn't so bad if you stay in the middle, but it is pretty postholed. Most people up there had no snowshoes. Kathoolas were fine for getting up Falling Waters, and I think even a descent was possible yesterday. A woman and her dog where doing just that and looked comfortable. The snow was pretty grippy going up to little haystack, before 11. The ridge was slush and puddles and much exposed rock. The descent from Truman to Lafayette was a bumtouch for me, and it was hard to stop sliding once I started. The descent from Lafayette was ass puckering, but there are lots of rocks to the sides of the trails if you prefer that. By this point in the day it was all mashed potatos and running water over soft ice. A couple of places looked like a slide would be painful. More aggressive traction might have been better. Old Bridle was a little less sketchy, being in the trees. I took a bum touch going down the slippery red rock section and had trouble stopping, pretty much dug my fingernails in the snow to stop from going off into the woods at the bottom.
An amazing day for this hike. We were uncertain what conditions would be like and it looked like there was a chance to be socked in, but the sun seemed to follow up around all day, with each peak clearing as we approached. Just as we went back down to treeline, the summits became socked in again. PERFECT TIMING. Easily the most amazing undercast I've ever witnessed. It's unfortunate I'm not posting on social media anymore because this weekends pics are amazing. This was a top ten hike ever. |
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 | Name: |
Bougie Bob |
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 | E-Mail: |
rcorsaro@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-03-04 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.strava.com/activities/10884383718 |
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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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