| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Tecumseh, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Tecumseh Trail, Sosman Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 16, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Ski area was fairly busy, lot 1 near the trailhead was full before 8:30. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Crossing 1 is open as usual. Crossing 2 has a decent snow bridge for now. Crossing 3 is still snowbridged, but some Microspikers installed a few deep postholes, which will likely contribute to its untimely demise. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Took out a bunch of blowdowns and leaners. Left a couple that will hopefully either bounce back (pulled branches out of the snowpack) or will be removed when the snowpack recedes. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Tale of two trails - the lower fraction of a mile has about a foot of snowpack with some south-facing pitches emerging (rocks and roots), but none more than a couple of feet long. Some areas of stable monorail emerging from the snowpack down low. The forecast for the next few days may make a mess out of this stretch, particularly in areas where water pools this time of year.
Snowpack increases as the trail enters the softwoods. Above the ski view, the snowpack is a good 2 to 3 feet deep. Monorail partially showing in the sideslope areas above the ski area herd path, which will become more pronounced with the forecast weather.
On the Mt. Tecumseh Trail summit loop (right), snowpack is close to 6 feet at the turn (one blaze is at the snow line, I think another is buried). Very little traffic on this side, except for a postholer from a prior day, who left some DEEP, painful looking carnage. Sosman side of the summit loop is mostly monorail starting at the rocky stretch.
I wore snowshoes roundtrip without issue and was moving faster than Microspikers in these conditions. That said, the snow was softening as the day progressed (before the rain), and the Microspikers were installing new postholes as they descended. This will likely only get worse with the fog, rain, and warm nights in the short term future.
Please wear snowshoes in these conditions. Microspiking a trail in these conditions is the equivalent of splashing pee on a public restroom toilet seat. Even if it's only a few droplets, it's still unpleasant for the next one who uses it. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-03-16 |
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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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