| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Hale, Zealand Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Zealand Road, Hale Brook Trail, Lend-A-Hand Trail, Twinway, Zeacliff Spur, Twinway, Zealand Spur, Zealand Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 18, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room at the big lot off US 302 at the start, but was filling up fast with hiker and snowmobiler vehicles. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All either rock hopped or solidly ice bridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Several blowdowns on the Twinway between Zeacliff and the Zealand summit spur that were easily stepped over, ducked under, or walked around. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Zealand Rd was well packed by either hikers, skiers, or snowmobilers; I barebooted the road walk both ways. Once on Hale Brook Trail, I switched to snowshoes since the trail, although broken out, wasn't hard packed enough to spike it. Some minor drifting on its upper section.
The Lend-a-Hand Trail had a older visible trench most of the way, but hadn't seen any recent traffic and was covered by a general 2 to 4" of unpacked powder, with some sections completely obscured by drifting. Was very glad to be going down that trail and not up it.
Twinway was packed out like a highway pretty much all the way to the Zealand summit spur, save for a few sections with minor drifting. Same deal for the summit spur.
The Zealand Trail was well packed out from the Twinway junction to its summer trailhead; I took off the snowshoes at the A-Z Trail junction and barebooted the rest of the trail.
Overall, conditions were very ideal for hiking these two peaks, both in terms of trail and weather. Relatively mild all day with light to moderate wind. Some light snow showers at the tail end of the hike, but the temperature at that point was high enough that the snow melted on contact. Great views from the various outlooks as well in spite of the overcast sky.
44 down on the Winter 48, 4 to go! |
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 | Name: |
Spencer |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-01-19 |
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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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