| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Parker, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Langdon Trail, Mt. Parker Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, February 16, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plowed space for 2-3 cars |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
3 or 4 downed/leaning trees on Mt. Langdon Trail. 1 leaner on Mt. Parker Trail. Trails are scantily blazed. Mt. Parker Trail is easy to lose in the hardwoods. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw a snow spider |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Conditions for this hike are best described as tedious. The lower 1/2 mile or so was okay in spikes, but as the trail became (a) less traveled and (b) completely unpredictable as far as floatation-sinkage, we switched to snowshoes.
The entire route had been snowshoed by one person on Saturday, a well-above-freezing day when the snow was very soft. Those tracks subsequently froze. Hard. Consequently, for 90 percent of the hike, the trail surface is a crazy jumble of hard-frozen, 6-10 inch snowshoe craters. We, in snowshoes, were able to pound down some of the "alt steps" but sometimes remained on top, without sinking at all. At times we paralleled the broken-out steps on a hard, crusty, floatable surface, occasionally breaking through.
Nearer Mt. Parker we followed the broken out route as it veered off trail, thus avoiding the wide horseshoe curve of Mt. Parker Trail proper. Averse to an apparent cliffy bushwhack in snowshoes, however, we eventually veered northeast back to the trail and broke that out to the summit. Much to our delight, breaking trail was easier and preferable to following the dinosaur craters. We broke out the rest of the trail on our descent. We were not happy, 1/3 mile before the summit, to once again encounter the dinasaur tracks to the summit.
This was a rare Type 2 hike for me, but I am on a mission (#37/52 WAVSSW), and our spirits remained high throughout the day laughing at the craziness of it all. However, I do not recommend anyone do this hike until/if we get another foot or two of snow. Hahaha |
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 | Name: |
Snowflea & Fancypants |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-02-17 |
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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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