| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Garfield, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Garfield Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, May 16, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The road is open. I repeat, the road is OPEN!! I parked at the Mt Garfield Trailhead and though I didn’t see the amazing Hiker Ed while I was hiking, I am 110% sure that he stopped by my car at some point this morning. Thank you, Hiker Ed!! |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The water crossings are rock hops today. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There is only one new blowdown area, compared with my Garfield hike 3/31/2024. About 0.5 miles from the trailhead are two beasts that are stepovers; note to self, be nice to the woodpeckers as they are FIERCE! (Photos in my IG story!). |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I saw one; this is a great route for puppers. |
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 | Bugs: |
Yep. Picaridin for the WIN! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I had a whole lot of things change and get rescheduled, in the past 12 hours, and was left with a free day … so I went hiking! Yay for a weather forecast that was supportive of a trip to Garfield! The wildflowers are out, folks, and this is a beautiful trail to appreciate them! The trail is almost completely dry until the 2nd switchback, and then it’s running water nearly continuously until the 7th switchback. Just after the 8th (and final) switchback the hilarious balance-beam monorail starts, and I wore my beater rock spikes for this section. I didn’t need sharp spikes as there are flat spots and kicked steps, and overall everything is soft. For me, the remaining 0.6 miles to the summit was slow and tedious as I cautiously found my footing, but I did witness the speed and agility of three amazing hikers (two without any traction!) who bopped up and back down this slippery and unstable (in places) footing as if they were walking on city sidewalks. They were AMAZING and I would have felt bad about myself except I have absolutely no ego about speed - I do what’s safe for me and I don’t fret about it LOL! My hat is off to those three, and to all others with that impressive agility.
It was a great day to visit Garfield! |
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 | Name: |
Bikecamphikegirl |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-05-16 |
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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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