View Full Version : Mt Moosilauke/ Beaver Brook Shelter - anyone been in that vicinity recently?
skinny minnie
04-01-2009, 14:53
I'm planning an overnight for this weekend there and was wondering if anyone had info on conditions.
I'm assuming bring snowshoes and microspikes... would love to hear that it's less icy than I'm anticipating, especially on the descent down Beaver Brook trail to the shelter.
So how's the trail looking? Anyone know?
check out http://www.viewsfromthetop.com/forums/ it has a New England specific area. There is also a New Hampshire Trail Conditions sections.
I know there is still plenty of snow in Kinsman Notch. I don't have any info on Beaver Brook in particular.
I went 3rd week of May, two years ago. Snow was 3 feet deep and the river was roaring. Good luck.
skinny minnie
04-01-2009, 16:03
I always forget about views from the top!
"Glencliff was very well packed in an approx 12" wide section. If one stepped off this, they could post-hole . No problems with streams or blow downs to the junction. This morning was quite firm and very easy going. By afternoon was much softer, but still firm enough in the packed section.
Carriage Road to summit was fine, with only a few areas of blown in snow which was not difficult to walk through. Numerous areas of dirt and very thin snow/soft ice cover.
Used micro-spikes up and down, no other foot-ware needed. Could have bare-booted down, the snow was soft enough."
Hmm. Sounds good. Guess I'll just have to hope that the areas on the way down to the shelter that I remember as steep and slick are not sheets of ice!
neighbor dave
04-01-2009, 16:59
I always forget about views from the top!
"Glencliff was very well packed in an approx 12" wide section. If one stepped off this, they could post-hole . No problems with streams or blow downs to the junction. This morning was quite firm and very easy going. By afternoon was much softer, but still firm enough in the packed section.
Carriage Road to summit was fine, with only a few areas of blown in snow which was not difficult to walk through. Numerous areas of dirt and very thin snow/soft ice cover.
Used micro-spikes up and down, no other foot-ware needed. Could have bare-booted down, the snow was soft enough."
Hmm. Sounds good. Guess I'll just have to hope that the areas on the way down to the shelter that I remember as steep and slick are not sheets of ice!
you may want crampons for that little stretch down to the shelter
skinny minnie
04-02-2009, 09:19
you may want crampons for that little stretch down to the shelter
Yeah...I had a feeling... darn. Really that's the only part I'm concerned about.
Weather isn't looking especially pretty, either.
skinny minnie
04-06-2009, 09:14
If anyone heads up that way relatively soon - just follow our postholes!
Heading up Glencliff trail to the summit starts off with patches of snow/ice, moderately slippery, wet and muddy - did not use traction but would have been quicker if we had. Once the snow got deep enough had to stick to the trail - stepping off resulted in knee or hip deep snow. Microspikes came in handy at this point. No snowshoes necessary, trail was packed down, albeit very narrow. Summit was cold and windy. Large pools of melted water that were frozen the next day. Waterproof shoes/boots 100% necessary. Took beaver brook trail on the way down and thankfully someone had snowshoed it a week or two ago... otherwise navigating would have been very tricky in a few spots. Hit that steep stretch just fine with microspikes - had there been more ice crampons would have been better. Avoiding tricky parts of the trail by navigating off trail pretty much impossible due to snow depth. Even with snowshoes would have struggled.
Snowed overnight and there was no water source at Beaver Brook shelter.
Great hike!