| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Speckled Mountain (Peru), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Sheep Pasture Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, August 11, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The trail starts as a gated, grassy road with a sign saying “Searles Orchard.†It ascends gradually on the main road. Soon a structure resembling a dog house is reached on the right and another road joins from the left (when descending, it is easy to mistake this converging road for the route). The log yard reached at 0.5 seems to be a grown-in clearing, after which, the track becomes rougher. The right at the four-way intersection has a sign stating ‘no-ATVs.’ The next sign for “Speckled Mountain†appears to be absent. Beyond the four-way, the main road appears to bear right and ascend to a private camp; however, the trail continues straight, making a quick transition to a very grassy and overgrown road with no footbed. In places, boughs extend into the trail, making it seem quite obscure. In a short distance, a line of boulders is reached, where the trail is briefly overtaken by young hardwoods and thorny growth. Following a couple of steps of pushing, one will re-emerge on the grassy track. The ground is swampy and the footing is poor as tall grass obscures ruts and uneven terrain. At this point, there is a nice view of the ridge. At 1.6, the stone wall is reached and the new skid road is joined by bearing left (on the return trip, it is easy to miss this turn (right)). After following this road for a short distance, there is a section of significant flooding, which requires care to pass. Just beyond the flooding, the route reaches a T-intersection and joins the wide haul road. The route goes right and passes the red posts, which are hidden by hardwood growth. The route takes a quick left onto the yellow blazed path; the turn is easy to miss due to low boughs, but quite obvious once one leaves the haul road. The path is heavily eroded and marked with yellow boundary blazes and occasional orange flagging. The trail reaches ledges with nice views and re-enters the woods at a “Caution Sign.†After crossing some ledge, the trail passes a fire pit with a grill and becomes a very narrow footbed. The route follows cairns and occasional flagging and is tight and obscure at times. Once the trail passes to the side of a false summit, cairns and flagging lead briefly downhill on a discreet footbed. Soon the path levels out and then ascends on open rock, following cairns to the summit. |
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 | Name: |
zporterColdRiverCampCook |
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 | E-Mail: |
zap88@tds.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-08-11 |
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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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