Galehead, South Twin, North Twin – 2020-01-25

Conditions:
All snow bridges were in place and solid, including Little River. Little River still had open water, but by being careful, I was able to find solid ice bridges to cross the river three times.

Equipment:
From Beaver Brook to North Twin, I used exclusively spikes and had no issues with the trail. It was a stable monorail, though it wasn’t as packed between the hut and Galehead Mt and between South and North Twin. Once I started down the back of North Twin, I threw on snowshoes, as I was only the second set of prints since the last snowstorm; there were ~8 inches of fresh powder on the trail from North Twin to Haystack Rd. I bare-booted along Haystack Rd, since it’s totally packed down due to snowmobiles.

Trail Maintenance:
Between North Twin and Haystack Rd, there were 3-4 blowdowns, though they could be stepped over or gone around. Additionally, most of the yellow blazes between North Twin and Haystack Rd were worn down or not present, though they were clearly visible at the two river crossings.

Parking & Road Access:
The parking area at Beaver Brook picnic area wasn’t plowed, but was completely manageable in a front-wheel drive sedan.