U
Unregistered
Guest
Mount Chocorua on 3/20/2016
Random Group of Hikers, party of 7. We ascended via Brook & Liberty Trail, descended via Liberty, Bee Line and Bolles for a loop. Paugus Road to trailhead was muddy with some deep ruts; 4wd recommended. Moderate ice patches on lower parts of Brook Trail. Heavy ice on the steeps of Brook Trail in the more shaded spots including several very challenging/hairy sections--mountaineering crampons strongly recommended. Ice patches on shaded parts of upper Liberty with a few tricky areas. Summit was bare. Ice was less severe on the Bee Line steeps; we used microspikes but those less sure of foot may want crampons. Lower Beeline was mostly ice free. A few icy stretches on the flats of Bolles but otherwise bare ground. Almost no snow at all. Water crossings were all tame, exposed stepping stones. A few blowdowns, nothing memorable.
Comments: We encountered a group of young men on the summit dressed in bluejeans & cotton sweatshirts, very little gear, no packs & tiny empty-ish day packs, at least one with some kind of yak-track like device affixed to his rubber puddle boots with rope. They had gone up Bolles + Beeline from the Kank & were headed down Champney. They wanted to know what Champney was like. We didn't know but told them to expect the worst in terms of hard packed trail ice (north slope; popular trail) & suggested they return the way then had gone up (known quantity; they said it wasn't bad). They opted for Champney. We are hoping they got down OK.
Lost: Water bottle in red insulator.
email: [email protected]
Shoeless Paul
Photos: http://www.meetup.com/random-hikers/events/229400541/
Random Group of Hikers, party of 7. We ascended via Brook & Liberty Trail, descended via Liberty, Bee Line and Bolles for a loop. Paugus Road to trailhead was muddy with some deep ruts; 4wd recommended. Moderate ice patches on lower parts of Brook Trail. Heavy ice on the steeps of Brook Trail in the more shaded spots including several very challenging/hairy sections--mountaineering crampons strongly recommended. Ice patches on shaded parts of upper Liberty with a few tricky areas. Summit was bare. Ice was less severe on the Bee Line steeps; we used microspikes but those less sure of foot may want crampons. Lower Beeline was mostly ice free. A few icy stretches on the flats of Bolles but otherwise bare ground. Almost no snow at all. Water crossings were all tame, exposed stepping stones. A few blowdowns, nothing memorable.
Comments: We encountered a group of young men on the summit dressed in bluejeans & cotton sweatshirts, very little gear, no packs & tiny empty-ish day packs, at least one with some kind of yak-track like device affixed to his rubber puddle boots with rope. They had gone up Bolles + Beeline from the Kank & were headed down Champney. They wanted to know what Champney was like. We didn't know but told them to expect the worst in terms of hard packed trail ice (north slope; popular trail) & suggested they return the way then had gone up (known quantity; they said it wasn't bad). They opted for Champney. We are hoping they got down OK.
Lost: Water bottle in red insulator.
email: [email protected]
Shoeless Paul
Photos: http://www.meetup.com/random-hikers/events/229400541/
