| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Mansfield (The Chin), VT |
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 | Trails: |
Long Trail, Profanity Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, December 30, 2011 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at end of plowed Rte. 108 by the ski area, spaces fill quickly on weekends & school vacations. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Ice - Blue |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Still some small drainages with running water, easily stepped over.The biggest brook crossing at about 2500 ft. is frozen but for a small rivulet. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Fine dog conditions to Taft lodge but I wouldn't bring mine much above there - steep, deep snow, blue ice. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Snowshoes the whole way. We got up to 11" of snow in the mtns. here on the 28th, and winds on the 29th piled it up on the lee (east) side of the upper slopes. There's a nice bootable/traction/ snowshoe track up to Taft Lodge, then a more loosely packed trail up the LT toward the Eagle Pass approach to the Chin (4,393').
Profanity was untracked but I headed up there anyway and broke out the knee to mid-thigh deep snow that is filling the gullies. I don't think you could climb Profanity right now without well-cramponed snowshoes - varying consistency, from loose powder to ice and windpack. I came down the same way, so there's a trough to follow.
Above treeline,a mix of drifts in the pockets and hard ice & rock everywhere else. Stayed in my MSR snowshoes and was careful of the iciest parts.
Visibility 30-50 ft., steady winds about 10mph, summit temp 10F @ 12:30 or so. Snowed lightly the whole time. Saw 2 hikers at the cabin and saw crampon tracks toward the pass, otherwise a pretty quiet socked-in day.
A few skiers are starting to backcountry the lower slopes, ski trail accessed from below Taft Lodge. Looks a lot different than when I was last here on the 17th. |
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 | Name: |
Drew Petersen |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2011-12-30 |
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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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