summitseeker
New member
Lafayette and Lincoln: via Bridle Path and Falling Waters
3-30-13
Trail Conditions: The Bridle Path was in great shape. Cold, slightly crusty snow covering a solid hard pack at 7:10 am. Any tracks from earlier this week were completely covered over by strong winds. The ridge walk from Lafayette to Little Haystack was a mix of exposed rock, rime, and unpacked powder. The best part was NO ICE!
I assume this week's snow covered what people were reporting earlier. The water crossings on Falling Waters are beginning to break down but some are still completely snow bridged. By 11:00 the heavy foot traffic and warm temps were beginning to turn the trail into mashed potatoes. There was one downed tree which we crawled under but a taller person could probably step over its lowest point without going too far off trail.
Special Equipment Required: We wore crampons and Hillsound Pros the entire hike. We saw a few folks on snowshoes but there were few areas that actually required them. The tracks and shallow postholes from first few people coming up from Falling Waters were quickly filled. I wore microspikes to the hut and then switched to crampons expecting to encounter ice.
Comments: Optional - Despite some blasting winds, which thanks to SteveR's decision was at our backs, it was BEAUTIFUL up there today. We lost count of the hikers we saw coming up Falling Waters but most were bare-booting or using some form of traction. Even with the unusually large amount of foot traffic I am guessing the trail will be in decent shape tomorrow. A big thanks to SteveR and H.A. for a great hike and a great lunch at the "station". Kibo, the wonder dog, was a champ as always and lead most of the way.
Z
3-30-13
Trail Conditions: The Bridle Path was in great shape. Cold, slightly crusty snow covering a solid hard pack at 7:10 am. Any tracks from earlier this week were completely covered over by strong winds. The ridge walk from Lafayette to Little Haystack was a mix of exposed rock, rime, and unpacked powder. The best part was NO ICE!
I assume this week's snow covered what people were reporting earlier. The water crossings on Falling Waters are beginning to break down but some are still completely snow bridged. By 11:00 the heavy foot traffic and warm temps were beginning to turn the trail into mashed potatoes. There was one downed tree which we crawled under but a taller person could probably step over its lowest point without going too far off trail.Special Equipment Required: We wore crampons and Hillsound Pros the entire hike. We saw a few folks on snowshoes but there were few areas that actually required them. The tracks and shallow postholes from first few people coming up from Falling Waters were quickly filled. I wore microspikes to the hut and then switched to crampons expecting to encounter ice.
Comments: Optional - Despite some blasting winds, which thanks to SteveR's decision was at our backs, it was BEAUTIFUL up there today. We lost count of the hikers we saw coming up Falling Waters but most were bare-booting or using some form of traction. Even with the unusually large amount of foot traffic I am guessing the trail will be in decent shape tomorrow. A big thanks to SteveR and H.A. for a great hike and a great lunch at the "station". Kibo, the wonder dog, was a champ as always and lead most of the way.
Z
