TwinMom+1
Member
Date of Hike: Sun 3/20
Trail Conditions: Hard packed snow with some crusty ice spots. Most snowbridges are intact or easily circumvented. Blue ice on upper portion of Pitcher/Champney falls viewing loop trail looked very bad so we avoided it and marched back out the way we came. Still plenty of snow on the ground esp up high, though extensive postholing. Also the bridge over Champney Brook near the Kanc. trailhead is rolled over and appears to have been out for a while; big yellow arrow signs point you to walk on the highway for 100 yards to enter woods.
Special Equipment Required: Snowshoes essential, esp. as afternoon brings softer snow. We passed 2 parties that summited in either snowshoes or bareboots (which left lots of postholes) and guy who ran up/down on running shoes only - yikes!
Comments: Optional - Spectacular views today, esp from Champney Falls Cutoff leading to Middle Sister. We followed Steve Smith's suggested route from his Snowshoeing in the Whites book but didn't go beyond the junction where the sign points toward Piper Trail. My snowshoe broke so I didn't want to summit one-footed, which severely bummed me out to miss such a great day, but as they say, the mountain will be there another day.
Your name: TwinMom+1
Your E-mail address: [email protected]
Trail Conditions: Hard packed snow with some crusty ice spots. Most snowbridges are intact or easily circumvented. Blue ice on upper portion of Pitcher/Champney falls viewing loop trail looked very bad so we avoided it and marched back out the way we came. Still plenty of snow on the ground esp up high, though extensive postholing. Also the bridge over Champney Brook near the Kanc. trailhead is rolled over and appears to have been out for a while; big yellow arrow signs point you to walk on the highway for 100 yards to enter woods.
Special Equipment Required: Snowshoes essential, esp. as afternoon brings softer snow. We passed 2 parties that summited in either snowshoes or bareboots (which left lots of postholes) and guy who ran up/down on running shoes only - yikes!
Comments: Optional - Spectacular views today, esp from Champney Falls Cutoff leading to Middle Sister. We followed Steve Smith's suggested route from his Snowshoeing in the Whites book but didn't go beyond the junction where the sign points toward Piper Trail. My snowshoe broke so I didn't want to summit one-footed, which severely bummed me out to miss such a great day, but as they say, the mountain will be there another day.
Your name: TwinMom+1
Your E-mail address: [email protected]
