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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Paugus - Southwest Peak, NH
Trails
Trails: Old Mast Road, Lawrence Trail, Cabin Trail, road walk, Gordon Path
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, December 8, 2019
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Plenty of room at Ferncroft, and the road there is in good condition. Routes 113 and 113A are well-plowed, ice-free, and mostly free of frost heaves, but there are a few large ones still lurking. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Several minor crossings on Cabin Trail are easy. All others, including the major ones on Old Mast Road and Gordon Path, are bridged. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Several blowdowns on Cabin Trail, including one large one that required bushwhacking around (which was not easy, as the trail was along a steep sidehill). In addition, there's a widowmaker on Cabin Trail not far from the Lawrence junction. Finally, there is no sign for Gordon Path on Route 113A - the trail starts on a driveway with a prominent sign saying "Please do not park here". It's also not signed where it enters the woods. However, once in the woods, the trail's twists and turns are signed. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Small dogs might have had issues with the (mostly) unpacked powder on Lawrence and upper Cabin trails. Larger dogs probably wouldn't have had much trouble. 
Bugs
Bugs: None! 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Nada. 
 
Comments
Comments: This was a redlining loop that looked like it could be done this time of year without too much trouble. Going up Old Mast Road was straightforward - there were several recent bare-booting tracks and also a few older tracks on the trail. We used micro-spikes, but it probably could have been bare-booted. When we reached the four-way junction, the recent boot tracks turned left to follow Walden Trail. Square Ledge Trail was completely untouched. We, however, turned right onto Lawrence Trail, which had one person's fairly old boot tracks but was otherwise just unpacked powder. There was probably about a foot of snow on the ridge, so we put on snowshoes for this part. At the junction with Kelley and Oliverian Brook trails, Kelley also had one or two people's old boot tracks, while Oliverian Brook was completely untouched. We continued on Lawrence another 0.3 miles, following that one set of old boot tracks, to the Cabin Trail junction. There was a set of old boot tracks on Cabin as well as one continuing on Lawrence Trail. We turned right onto Cabin, and soon reached a rather dicey section where the trail goes along a steep sidehill. With snowshoes and a foot of snow on the ground, it was doable, but I wouldn't have wanted to do that part with two or more feet of snow on the ground. The rest of the descent of Cabin was straightforward, still following that one old set of boot tracks. Therefore, from the Old Mast Road/Lawrence junction to a tenth or two above the Cabin/Big Rock Cave junction (where we removed our snowshoes due to there being <6" of snow), the trails have a nice snowshoe track. Big Rock Cave Trail was also completely untouched. Gordon Path required GPS confirmation to find, but it was pretty gentle and a nice way to end the hike.

Of course, the rain forecast for the next couple days will completely change this. But until then...  
Name
Name: GN 
E-Mail
E-Mail:  
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2019-12-08 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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