| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Pleasant Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Southwest Ridge Trail, Bald Peak Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, June 10, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
One car at the trailhead lot when I got there around 1500. Another arrived while I was gearing up. I was the only car left at 2100 at the end of my out-and-back hike. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
See dog-related notes below. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The trail is in fantastic shape! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
About halfway up the Southwest Ridge Trail, a small trickle of a stream crosses the trail, which can be stepped right over very easily. Good place for a hound to water up, though! |
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 | Bugs: |
Super buggy! I think I had a steady, constant cloud of skeeters, midges, etc. swarming around me all day. Not too bad if I kept moving, which I did. I used a sparing amount of DEET today as well, which I hate to do, but the bugs would have been worse had I not. Also, be advised -- ticks abound! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Got a bit of a late start, beginning my hike at 1522. I chose the Southwest Ridge Trail for an out-and-back, as I wanted as much afternoon sunshine as possible. I took my time, averaging around 1 mph, stopping frequently to look at views (so many on the way up; makes this quite the rewarding trail!) and to check out the wildflowers in bloom. So many! I saw bluet, pink lady slipper/moccasin flower, bunchberry, wild columbine, and pale corydalis.
Hit the summit around 1800, and had a snack and a rest while gazing at the Whites off yonder. Had the summit mostly to myself until a couple showed up around 1830, which was about when I was already thinking about heading down to the car the same way I came up. A beautiful, fiery sunset sky (same colors as the corydalis!) soon was peeking through the trees on the descent. The sun didn't go down until around 2020, but the twilight afforded enough ambient light to hike without a headlight, which I had just in case.
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 | Name: |
Night Ranger |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-06-10 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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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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