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Trail mostly snow free in the lower hardwood section, mostly snow covered in the upper softwood sections. On the way up bare boots until the snow (with care one can avoid damaging the exposed trail), then stabilicers worked well on the monorail up to Liberty. After that I used snowshoes to get to Flume and back, and kept them on down Liberty as the day warmed and sun hit, until I got to some open patches, at which point I took them off and put them on a couple of times. The monorail is very narrow in places, and while not a problem going up, on the downhills staying on it without shaving its sides was like walking a tightrope, on a slant, even with snowshoes. So add some time for this. The major stream crossing is a bit tricky but about 50' downstream from the usual crossing some logs provide a satisfactory way to get across it. It was a beautiful day with great views and nice temps, all to myself and the little dog.
