Low on snow, high on stoke!
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 7:00 pm
Got out Saturday for the first time this season; saw the radar Friday night and knew I had to find something somewhere deep enough to slide around on.
My plan was to try the Lincoln Woods trailhead first, and to work my way up Franconia Notch and towards Bretton Woods if I couldn't find deep enough snow.
Driving up 93 I was beginning to worry at the lack of snow cover on exposed surfaces, let alone in the woods. Passing through Lincoln I noted that at the very least the nicely manicured grass in front of the elementary school has enough white stuff to slide around on.
Now onto the part you actually care about!
Upon arrival at the Lincoln Woods parking lot I was delighted to see that the meager snow cover of the valley had given way to a slightly less meager and entirely almost skiable snow cover in the woods. So now the choice was Lincoln Woods Trail or East Side Trail? Lincoln Woods was destroyed by foot traffic and Eat Side still had some fluff so down the East Side I went!
Snow depth was only a few inches and much of the the time I was dodging windblown debris, gravel, and nicely sized rocks sticking out of and just below the surface of the snow. To complicate matters there were a ton of wet spots in the trail, some hidden, to turn the snow into a sticky mess. I had to take off my skis and walk a fair bit.
Eventually I made it to the Franconia Brook tentsite and had a lovely picnic on the rocky shores of the Pemi.
Something magical happened in the time I was eating. As the wind blew and the temperatures dropped the snow dried out and became, dare I say fast? Clicking back into the skis I noticed the change in glide immediately.
The trip back was even better than the trip in, moreso from all the stops to pet the dogs being walked on the once lonely trail. I also passed a family cutting down their huge Christmas tree. I couldn't help but be reminded of National Lampoon as the tree dwarfed their SUV.
All in all it was a fantastic trip, and I was incredibly happy to scratch that itch!
My plan was to try the Lincoln Woods trailhead first, and to work my way up Franconia Notch and towards Bretton Woods if I couldn't find deep enough snow.
Driving up 93 I was beginning to worry at the lack of snow cover on exposed surfaces, let alone in the woods. Passing through Lincoln I noted that at the very least the nicely manicured grass in front of the elementary school has enough white stuff to slide around on.
Now onto the part you actually care about!
Upon arrival at the Lincoln Woods parking lot I was delighted to see that the meager snow cover of the valley had given way to a slightly less meager and entirely almost skiable snow cover in the woods. So now the choice was Lincoln Woods Trail or East Side Trail? Lincoln Woods was destroyed by foot traffic and Eat Side still had some fluff so down the East Side I went!
Snow depth was only a few inches and much of the the time I was dodging windblown debris, gravel, and nicely sized rocks sticking out of and just below the surface of the snow. To complicate matters there were a ton of wet spots in the trail, some hidden, to turn the snow into a sticky mess. I had to take off my skis and walk a fair bit.
Eventually I made it to the Franconia Brook tentsite and had a lovely picnic on the rocky shores of the Pemi.
Something magical happened in the time I was eating. As the wind blew and the temperatures dropped the snow dried out and became, dare I say fast? Clicking back into the skis I noticed the change in glide immediately.
The trip back was even better than the trip in, moreso from all the stops to pet the dogs being walked on the once lonely trail. I also passed a family cutting down their huge Christmas tree. I couldn't help but be reminded of National Lampoon as the tree dwarfed their SUV.
All in all it was a fantastic trip, and I was incredibly happy to scratch that itch!
