Spring Snow Cover Reports

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peakbagger

In Rembrance , July 2024
Joined
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Gorham NH
I will start off this thread with my report for 4/17/13. This is mostly intended to convince folks that just because the the grass is green down south that the whites are green and dry.

These are the conditions at 1400 feet near the Gorham Randoph NH townline on RT 2.

The snow cover has dropped dramatically in the last week, areas with sun exposure are mostly clear of snow except for packed surfaces, like snowbanks. Even in shaded sections of dense soft woods, the snow cover is sparse or non exisitent. There are still patches in the clear in areas where snow build up was high this winter and the areas are shaded. I can see snow in the open about one thord way up the first Howk on Madison which would imply that there is still plenty of snow on the north slope of the northern presidentials which is the normal hiking approach side.

I have not seen the muddy footprints at the bog on the side of Rt2 so that usually indicates that the local moose havent moved back to their springtime hangouts adjacent to the roads (but they may still be active). If this season is similar to past years I expect to see the tracks within a week or so.

I expect the periods of rain with warm weather later this week are going to burn off more snow but as usual its still potentially winter conditions at the summits and I expect plenty of snow to make postholing a painful experience. The frost is still coming out of the ground and therefore dirt side roads are muddy and most likely closed.

A reminder that the Long Trail in VT is now closed due to mud season and that anyone hiking in the greens or the whites is most likely going to encounter mud. Please be responsible and stay on the trail as the damage to the sides of the trail accumulate rapidly and I dont think anyone appreciates a 10 foot wide mud pit.
 
There's still 3-4 feet of snow in the HP, depending on the location. As of the 13th it was mostly bullet-proof crust with a 1-2" coating of fresh (at the time) snow. Hudson/Opalescent were safe but open.
 
Snow-free (or almost) trails in NH

Probably time to start the snow-free trails thread.

Today I hiked the Rumney Rattlesnake, no snow below the loop, some snow on the loop. Note that this is a very low mountain, the summit is at 1,594 feet, well below the elevation of many trailheads.
 
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I hiked Bald Knob from the "upper parking area" in the Ossipees two days ago and it was snow-free. The bootleg trail from BK to Turtleback was also snow free. Turtleback Mtn Tr on the way up from BK had snow packed over the winter by snowmobiles.
 
Attempted Indian Head Trail from Rt. 3 to Mt. Pemi. I was expecting some running water, but the trail was much wetter than I had expected. There were substantial sections in which streams had taken over the trail. The lower section has an established alternate trail, so it was not too bad. Higher up there was no easy way to avoid the running water. For what it's worth there were just a few patches of snow/ice which were not a problem.

At around 2,100 feet I asked myself the Garfieldian question:

are-we-having-fun-yet.jpg

Since the answer was clearly NO I turned around. Give it a couple of weeks at least.
 
I did the Lincoln/Lafayette loop on Monday - wore microspikes from the parking lot & back. Styrofoam conditions down low - could go anywhere in AM without breaking thru. Lots of snow still.
 
Hammond Trail to Chocorua has snow and ice above 2500. Mostly wet slippery slabs along the rocky sections.
 
The Catskills can be done without showshoes now, and almost everyone is just bare booting, but microspikes could be handy for north facing and spruce covered areas.
 
Still up to 4 feet in the trees on the southern presis. On Eisenhower it was a mix of ice and bare ground. The snow was firm today but could soften up with some warm weather. I saw some DEEP postholes today.
 
Speaking of snow cover, a friend in St. Paul, Minnesota tells me they have over a foot on the ground and another blizzard just starting this evening.
 
Hiked Piper and Belknap today, 95% snow/ice free! Only area of ice that required skirting around was on the Red trail to/from Belknap. (clearly different from my Wildcats/Carter Dome/Carters hike yesterday) Yeah to being able to wear trail runners again!!! Can't wait until it melts up north!
 
Mt. Major, Straightback Mtn., and the knob north of SB are all snowfree in the Belknaps. Pretty dry considering the season, too.
 
Hiked Monadnock last weekend via White Dot White Cross. Tiny tiny bit of snow, so I'd bet it's snow free now. Side trails and trails from halfway House still had some snow then according to the rannger.
Pack Monadnock is snow free.
Early spring migrants, yellow rumped warbler, winter wren, golden-crowned kinglets were singing. Broad winged hawks are back. A couple of butterflies around as well.
 
Moriah today 04/28/13 - Stoney Brook soft snow about a mile from Carter-Moriah, balance bare to Rte 16. C-M along ridge ledges bare, in the trees still 3-4' of snowpack, narrow monorail breaking down quickly.
 
Champney Falls Trail is still ice and snow, loose packed granular. Everything is melting very fast, lots of mud as well. Lots of folks, foolishly, hiking without microspikes. Lots of trail erosion potential if the traffic keeps up. Lots of folks on the mountain
 
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