| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Blue Ridge Mountain - North Peak, Crystal Mountain - Northwest Peak, Diamond Ridge, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Pond Crossing, Snowmobile Corridor 5, Snowmobile Corridor 133, bushwhacks, Tracy Brook Road, Closed Corridor 135/Atv Trail/Skid Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 5, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
we parked at the well plowed boat launch on diamond pond in stewartstown. the road in to coleman state park and beyond to diamond pond is in decent shape. the diamond pond lot appears to be used mostly by ice fisherman. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
some minor brooks and drainages a non issue |
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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: |
from the boat launch we headed north across diamond pond to pick up corridor 5. a current snowmobile trail map is recommended and was quite helpful. the snowmo trail was well travelled and made for quick going on its loop around the north side of diamond ridge down to the alder brook drainage and junction with corridor 133. we briefly followed corridor 133 to use a couple bridges over the brooks then started our bushwhack east up to tracy brook on the west slope of blue ridge. up to a couple of feet of snow in this area with a few inches of fresh powder on top. good going on a mix of old skid roads and open woods. tracy brook road has seen logging traffic which may mean access could be gained via corser brook road, etc from the south if you have a capable vehicle. a few minutes walk north and we picked up a current skid road, but also a sometimes snowmo corridor and atv trail up to a log landing on the north side of blue ridge. from there we hit the woods bushwhacking to north blue ridge with up to 3 feet of snow on its north slope and nice open woods. more healthy snow depth along the ridge along with some tighter conifer woods up to the recognized highpoint. the moose did a good job of leading the way in places. we back tracked to the landing and continued on the skid road until it transitioned back into an atv snowmo corridor (135) up to a junction with corridor 134. from that intersection we took a line on nw crystal and started our bushwhack through great woods with the kind of snow you expect in winter. depths increased with elevation and woods remained good with some care picking open lanes. we eventually had to push through some tighter spruce with deeper snow loaded in up to 4 feet. ultimately the snow made for a much nicer experience on this peak than without as the blowdown i remembered was well buried. we hit some more nice open lanes up high to the recognized highpoint. some interesting views through the standing dead trees on the summit. we back tracked down to corridor 5 and made the call to head back the pond via diamond ridge. some great views from a large clearcut on its northeast slopes then almost all beautiful open woods across the ridge to the highpoint which had some old string and a carved x in a tree. snow depths were less than on the earlier peaks, but still up to a couple of feet. from the summit we headed straight down to diamond pond with some sticky snow on the sunny south facing slope. a quick hike across the pond had us back at the boat launch.
this ended up being a very nice hike and good route. abundant sun all day and great views. this was truly the first legit trail breaking we have gotten to do this year. snow depth up high in this area is much more reminiscent of a typical winter. a hearty congratulations to amy on her nh firetower finish today on northwest crystal. |
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 | Name: |
bryan, Nordic Gal |
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 | E-Mail: |
bryancuddihee@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-03-05 |
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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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