| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Piper Mountain, Belknap Mountain, Gunstock Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Piper Mountain Trail, Old Piper Trail, White Trail, Blue Trail, Saddle Trail, Brook Trail, Gunstock Mountain Trail, Winter Shortcut |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 3, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
apparently last summer's no-parking ban on Carriage Mtn Rd. is no longer in effect as plenty of cars parked along the road. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Ice - Breakable Crust |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
none of note on this route |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No issues with trail. Excepting 1-2 missing signs on Old Piper Tr, BRATTs does an excellent job on signage. Thank you! |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Did not see any today |
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 | Bugs: |
FB reports cited ticks, but we didn't note any today. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Fabulous as always. We proceeded counterclockwise, to Piper first. Surprisingly minimal mud patches but per usual spring in New England, plenty of tricky ice flows, all avoidable on Piper Mtn Tr. Barebooted to Piper summit, then per report of two other hikers (thank you!) donned spikes about 0.2 down the trail when think blue ice flows were tricky esp on descent. Removed the spikes in the col after starting ascent to Belknap on Old Piper Tr (White Trail - may have different name at that point) then needed them at about the 0.5 mark when the thick blue ice began. Wore spikes down Saddle (Blue trail - thank you BRATTS for painting the entire rock blue for us dummies questioning where is the trail) - where they were very needed on descent - and kept them on until Gunstock summit.
We saw probably 8 other hikers who barebooted the entire way. Wow their tolerance for slipping/potential falls is different than mine. Enjoyed the usual great view from the Trigger trail nearthe Panorama Pub deck where even George was out despite clouds, even though we missed the pub's final day of the year by 15 min. Also we must note and thank the Gunstock resort for the now-flush toilets at the top. Upon descent via Gunstock Mtn Tr, we kept spikes on through the winter shortcut, where they were barely needed, then removed.
The hubby and I smiled when each of us found the water bars we helped create in trail work about 4 years ago. Very much looking to volunteering again now that COVID complexities are hopefully more manageable. One son commemorated Autism Awareness Month by crooning "It's a Small World" instead of saying Hello to a party. Not sure they got the joke but who cares. My heart fills each time the mountains and its denizens welcome us in all our quirks, and join us in seeing capability and promise in every being. And it longs for the next time we can trek again. |
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 | Name: |
TwinMom+1 |
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 | E-Mail: |
mk@mkmarinac.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-04-04 |
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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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