| 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: |
Tuesday, April 16, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Summer lot is snow free and dry. The road leading up to it is now heavily posted due to people parking where they shouldn't. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Some duck unders |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
None yet |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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|
 | Comments: |
Shoulder season conditions, complete with a dusting to an inch of new snow.
The initial logging road stretch from the parking lot was mostly running water, while the path connection to the next old road was mostly thawed.
The old road stretch (e.g. alongside the brook and the well) alternated between mud and blue ice. Low enough angle that spikes were okay. Dusting of snow on top.
Snow/ice became more consistent as the trail turns off the old road. Spikes were outmatched by the ice in a few short steeper areas (everything had set up in the colder/windier conditions); I threw on my snowshoes for the descent and found they did much better (i.e. longer span of traction).
Full snowpack starting in the softwoods, with monorail developing. 2-3" drifts on snow in places. I left my spikes on for the ascent, but opted for snowshoes for the descent to smooth out the new snow. Stepping off the packed trail was an instant posthole. Snowpack is probably 3 feet or so along this stretch.
Snowshoes went on at Starr King and stayed on all the way down to the old road stretch. Still very deep snow between the peaks, with blazes at the snow line in a few places. Probably 4 to 6 feet deep still. Noted a lot of nasty postholes in places where the trail is vague and not as packed; no issues sinking while wearing snowshoes. Monorail forming on the Starr King side, but still a trench on the Waumbek side.
Short, but very nice sunset on the way out (unfortunately was too low to get a clear shot of it). Upcoming weather may take out a lot of the lower elevation snow/ice, but I suspect upper elevation snowpack could hang on well into May. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-04-17 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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