| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Galehead Mountain, South Twin Mountain, North Twin Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Beaver Brook XC ski trail Gale River Loop Road, Gale River Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail, Frost Trail, Twinway, North Twin Spur, North Twin Trail, Haystack Road, herdpath, Little River Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, December 20, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Spotted my truck at 7 dwarfs ($10) across the street. Only vehicle there when I arrived. Drove over to Beaver Brook where there were three other vehicles. This lot has been a skating rink since last week but the fresh snow helped, I assume it could have been salted recently too, either way I didn't slip and fall in the lot this time. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All open and flowing slightly higher than average. The crossings on Gale River Trail were manageable using rocks with spikes on our feet.
Little River will require trash bags or actual waders. There is no snow bridging left, and any shelf ice along the banks is too weak to support any weight. Simply put, there is no option other than wading a bit. Going upriver a short distance from the trail crossing will provide a few options of shallower water, nothing above the knee. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There are blowdowns and litter on all the trails. Gale River Trail has a few crawl overs / arounds but nothing too bad. Frost Trail has at least one go around. Twinway has a few that you'll have to crawl over / under. I don't recall North Twin Trail having anything other than some climb overs. We broke off limbs where needed, I regret not bringing a saw. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None seen, but lots of fox tracks on North Twin Trail. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A dusting to an inch of fresh snow down low on Gale River Trail increasing to maybe 4" on Garfield Ridge. We tossed on snowshoes on GRT, but could have put them on earlier. The higher elevation of the Twins got more snow. We re-broke through 6" of powder and some knee deep drifts to North Twin. North Twin Trail hasn't seen nearly as much traffic and was much softer up high. Lower there is a good amount of hard blue ice hidden under a few inches powder. We wore snowshoes until it got too boney. I would suggest using sharper spikes and caution as we found tricky ice even on the flat section along the river. |
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 | Name: |
Kyle L & E.T. Fudge |
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 | E-Mail: |
kjlanctot g mail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-12-20 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.strava.com/activities/13157202945 |
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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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