| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Champney Brook Trail, Piper Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, December 21, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
All good on parking off of the Kanc. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rocks were glazed and icy. We took a herd path found just down Kanc over the stream to avoid the first one which had us wondering how bad the rest would be. So we took the old Champney Trail (there’s definitely been traffic on it to avoid the others on ascent. On descent we didn’t care as much and crossed the others. Took some figuring out but water wasn’t crazy so we took our time and didn’t fall. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Did Champney Brook to (nearly) summit yday Sat Dec 21. Turned around due to cold and wind beating us up and some icy spots on final summit push just above treeline but below the “flat” exposed section on way to true summit. About 0.1 - 0.2 short of it.
Trail itself was in decent shape. No drama. Packed pretty well with a loose new coating on top. Barebooted to falls then put on spikes. The stairs above the falls Passable with spikes but icy (but not bulging).Did not descend the falls spur, just continued on Champney Trail.. Some wet spots along trail that were a pain along the way because snow balled up on spikes. But no big deal. Otherwise a mostly consolidated snow pack up the switchbacks to Piper.
Above tree line the slab had some drifts and some icy spots that might give some people a little pause. But likely navigated with spikes and some care.
In short we are safety first people but probably would have summited if the wind wasn’t nuts. The icy spots could be navigated with care. We did run into 2 older guys who did withstand the wind and summited though and they didn’t mention ice being a problem, just wind and cold.
PS. Rocks on stream crossings were sheer ice. Do your self a favor and walk the road from parking lot across the stream (that runs under road) and use the herd path back to trail. That one sucked. We used the old champney Trail to west side of current trail to avoid the next few water crossings as well. We were less careful on our way down and were able to cross with a little TLC and because a fall at that point wouldn’t kill the hike. |
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 | Name: |
Richie C |
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 | E-Mail: |
rich.conley01@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-12-22 |
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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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