| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Welch Mountain, Dickey Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Welch Dickey Loop Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 22, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lot is plowed |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable) |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Only real crossing is near the beginning of the trail up Welch (going counter-clockwise) and it wasn't a problem. I barebooted it, while my companion donned his microspikes. More running water than usual near or across the trail up Welch due to previous melt, but nothing difficult to hop over. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No blowdowns. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one or two. Not a fan of taking dogs on winter hikes |
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 | Bugs: |
None! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Beautiful day for an early winter hike up Welch-Dickey. Temps were as expected -- mid-upper 30s in the valley, mid-upper 20s up high. 18 MPH winds were forecast but luckily never materialized -- only light breezes every now and then. Got sunnier as the day went on. Snow on the entire trail. Depth varied from an inch on top of frozen ground or rocks to maybe 4 inches at most at the higher elevations. In most places trail was well-packed, as expected for such a well-traveled path, though some of the bare ledges had tracks of deep footprints rather than continuous hard packed snow. Plenty of places with ice under the snow, but I managed to bareboot it to the first ledges on Welch. That area is quite icy, so on went the microspikes for the hike up the cone of Welch. Plenty of ice and slick rocks under minimal snow cover increased the level of difficulty, especially at some challenging spots that are relatively easy rock scrambles in the dry seasons but didn't offer much traction even with spikes. Way too rocky for full crampons. Trail down Welch was pretty icy, with extra care needed in a few places. Hike up the cone of Dickey was easier than Welch, except at that one scramble just below the summit that's tough even in dry conditions. Trail down Dickey was the easiest part of the hike, just a few places on the bare ledges requiring a little extra care but nothing difficult. Definitely "shoulder season" conditions. Thank goodness for microspikes. Can't wait for more snow! |
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 | Name: |
peppersass |
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 | E-Mail: |
victory@mailbox.org |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-12-25 |
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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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