| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Piper Mountain, Whiteface Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Whiteface Mountain Trail, Piper-Whiteface Link, Vista Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 28, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
No one else at the parking area at the end of Belknap Mountain Road when I arrived, which should've been a sign that other people had read the weather forecast while I hadn't. Three other vehicles there when I got back. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Just the one small and easy rock hop on Whiteface Mountain Trail. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Many large mudpits on the ATV road portion of Whiteface Mountain Trail, but they were more avoidable than a couple of months ago. Other than that, no issues. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I saw several. I very much appreciated the dog owners who held their dogs closely while I passed - that is a very considerate thing to do. |
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 | Bugs: |
None yet. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
It was supposed to be a clear day with good weather, however when driving through Tilton on the way up, it rained for a bit. This raised an eyebrow for me since my plan involved trails with lots of open ledges that could be very slippery if they were wet.
Heading up Whiteface Mountain Trail was easy, and the ledges on the climb up to Piper were not too slippery (yet). No views from them today, however, and as I continued along the ridge of Piper toward North Piper, it started to rain again. The rain wasn't especially heavy, but it was enough to make the exposed ledges very slippery, and much of this ridge walk along Piper consists of open ledges. Heading back, my plan was to hike out to Swett Mountain and back, however the ledges on Vista Trail going out to the superb vista (which, again, had no views today) were extremely slippery. I therefore decided to turn around at the viewpoint rather than descend the steep exposed ledges on the way to Swett - I'll do that section when the ledges are dry and there are views.
The descent of the ledges back down Piper toward Whiteface had to be taken slowly and carefully since the ledges were very slippery. During the descent, I met two young women who were equally surprised at the weather, and in fact had originally gone to Franconia Notch but found it downpouring there and so decided to come to the Belknaps instead. By the time I reached the bottom of the descent and started to ascend Whiteface, the rain had all but stopped, though any exposed rocks were still very wet and slippery. The out-and-back to Whiteface was straightforward and easy although the usual excellent views from the summit area of Whiteface were sadly absent today. The descent back down to the trailhead was quick.
Despite the rain, I'm still glad I did this hike today. Saw maybe a dozen or so people on the trails. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-04-28 |
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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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