Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Roberts, Faraway Mountain, Black Snout, NH |
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| Trails: |
Mt. Roberts Trail, High Ridge Trail, bushwhack |
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| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 1, 2020 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at Castle in the Clouds when we arrived before 7am |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
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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: |
We decided to attempt a bw to Black Snout after testing the off-trail surface conditions while hiking Red Hill yesterday.
Both Mt. Roberts and High Ridge trails were rock hard, and surprisingly free of the cluster of post holes prevalent on popular trails; some south facing steep slopes were on rocks and dirt.
We wore microspikes on the trail and on the bw, and carried snowshoes but never used them. Above 2500' all tree branches had a thick coat of ice creating a constant visual wonderland in the bright sun.
We started the bw at a marsh on the High Ridge trail. Going N, at the far end of the marsh we soon encountered larger spruce with almost impenetrable ice laden branches. We changed our course to the ENE hoping that the ridge leading NW from Faraway would have nicer woods. Upon reaching 2700' we hit wide open hardwoods. We continued N to the 2750' bump where we foolishly wandered around the antenna site and beneath the guy wires coated with thick ice. After noticing long 3" diameter pieces of ice in the snow, and realizing they had fallen from the guy wires, we hurried away.
We continued N to the 2680 bump and then NW along the ridge to Black Snout. The summit is easily found, with a vintage metal oil can spout nailed to a tree.
We followed our tracks back, and passed on the Faraway summit. We discussed our return route for a while: A. a straight shot south through open woods and certainly good surface conditions, or B. follow trails back. We decided to return via Mt. Roberts in order to benefit from the great views south to Winnipesaukee and the Belknaps.
breaking conditions - no breaking whatsoever.
bw surface conditions - rare, crunchy but hard, to-die-for surface conditions with a bit of soft snow. No post holing on southerly facing slopes. Rare 1-2" post holing on northerly facing slopes and two or three spots of deep post holing.
grades - always easy, one spot with a short, steep grade just before the summit cone.
vegetation density - nearly always wide open hard woods, a couple of sprucy bands that looked menacing but the surface conditions were such that we were able to walk through them without falling in. |
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| Name: |
campsite |
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| E-Mail: |
campsite50 at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-03-02 |
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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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