| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Surprise, Mt. Moriah, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Carter-Moriah Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, December 20, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked under the power lines. Lot was plowed, space for 10+ cars if people park well. Looks like you could put two cars at the trailhead, but it wasn’t cleared well and we want to avoid any landowner confrontation. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Up to 3600’ was in great shape thanks to Craig. After that (the last 0.6 to the summit) was terrible with dozens of blowdowns; many of them large diameter, clusters of downed trees, or crowns. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
There’s some kind of hoody (maybe jacket) frozen to the ground at the trailhead sign. |
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 | Comments: |
Bring your sharpest spikes (but not full crampons). Light, fluffy snow ranged from trace at the trailhead to 4” at the summit. It won’t consolidate, so snowshoes would be useless. The snow is sitting on top of tons of ice, which is unnerving to say the least. Unfortunately, the ice isn’t thick enough for very aggressive traction. As mentioned above, we encountered dozens of blowdowns above 3600’. Snowshoes would have been a hindrance in this section, for sure. I would say that very few of the blowdowns can be dealt with by the average hiker with a small silky saw. There were just so many enormous tangles of trees. |
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 | Name: |
WanderingSoules |
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 | E-Mail: |
soules@writeme.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-12-20 |
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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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