| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Starr King, Mt. Waumbek, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Starr King Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 18, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Gravel road and lot surprisingly firm. Lot nearly full on my return, but that only takes 7 or so cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No significant crossings |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No blowdowns. Some running water in trails but none from drainages, just snow/ice was melting fast. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Fun day for Pepper. Easy trails, water if he wanted it, no vaseline on the paws or being told to stay out of the water, and lots of critters to chase in the hardwoods. He was warm on the way out down low so he just lost a huge amount of fur to my scissors. |
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 | Bugs: |
None yet. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Scattered ice in the trail up to around 2700' so I barebooted. After that there were quite a few stretches of solid but soft ice, way more than I recall seeing on this trail, making light traction (or snowshoes with crampons) extremely advisable.
At Starr King I ran into a group of hikers so I went a short ways before putting on the MSRs. They made for a great grip and good flotation; we just boogied over to Waumbek, and then back. Others in spikes were much slower, but they postholed only a little. They had snowshoes. I ran into down low on the way back who only had spikes. It was warmer than I would liked in the hardwoods; very comfy in the higher spruce-fir sections. The slowest stretch was actually the lower section on the way down; it was just so soft and wet by then, and descents tend to favor sliding, so I had to pick and choose my steps to avoid damaging the trail unnecessarily.
Our last hike of winter, but it didn't feel wintry, and in the heat of the lower section I realized I already miss this winter. Only 95 days or so until the days start getting shorter. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-03-18 |
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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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