| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Old Speck Mountain, Sunday River Whitecap, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Eyebrow Trail, Mahoosuc Trail, Grafton Loop Trail, Bull Run Campsite Spur, Slide Mountain Campsite Spur, Sargent Brook Campsite Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, August 28, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room Friday morning at the main trailhead at the North end of the lot. Still roomy Sunday mid-afternoon. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Not much in the way of crossings on this day, all were step-overs. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Overall in great shape. A short muddy stretch shortly below Old Speck on the GLT that could use some hardening. Also a ~1/10-mile stretch that is getting rather overgrown (still easy to follow at the moment) somewhere between the summit and Bull Run. One or two blowdowns to navigate around, nothing major. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Didn't see any, but should be fine except keep an eye on them on the Eyebrow Trail at the ledge crossing. |
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 | Bugs: |
Got swarmed by some black flies atop Sunday River Whitecap. Seriously? I know it's Maine, but some on, it's the end of August! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Day 1 of a 3-day Grafton Loop, been on my to-do list since 2003 when I worked with the AMC building scree wall atop Sunday River Whitecap for a week, before the West side had even been completely cut. Lugging a full backpack for the first time in 2 years up the steep Eyebrow Trail was "fun". The cable handrail was useful to drag myself up with. A nice woodsy walk with overall nice soft footing down from Old Speck to the base of Sunday River Whitecap, during which I only saw 2 groups of 2 (both going the other way) and a runner that blew by me. Sunday River Whitecap was as awesome as I remember, though the climb up from Miles Notch is significant. The views more than make up for it. Still a few blueberries left up top, but mostly dying off at this point.
I checked out both campsites on the way to Sunday River. Bull Run looked really nice, wooden platforms (#1 is HUGE) and a terrific flowing stream for a water source. Slide has a couple dirt pads and a light trickle for a water source. Sargent is nicely set up now (12 years ago it was not remotely finished of course) - 4 scattered dirt pads, #1 is massive and #2 has room for a couple tents too - but the water source was a light trickle too. All 3 sites have bear boxes and a cooking area (don't cook next to your tents people!!!) |
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 | Name: |
madmattd |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-08-31 |
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 | Link: |
 https://mattshikes.blogspot.com/ |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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