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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Elephant Mountain, ME
Trails
Trails: Logging roads, bushwhack
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Friday, June 22, 2018
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Google maps driving directions to Elephant Mountain Rd worked perfectly. Parked in the open area where the current logging road and the out of use logging road fork, the usual spot to start this hike. EMR is in okay shape, I drive an F150 but I imagine most lower clearance vehicles would be able to get to the regular parking area without a problem, just be careful there are a few culverts and some ruts. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: 1 two-stepper, plus the marsh 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: bushwhack, no trail no maintenance 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs: No issues, enough of a breeze to keep them away. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: An easier bushwhack, navigationally and physically, IMO. The first .4 miles on the out of use logging road is elementary to follow. The small cairn indicating where to start the bushwhack was easy to find, it's at the first break of trees on your left as you walk up the out of use logging road. Someone had orange flagged a bushwhack route that was easier to follow on the way up than the way down. That route led to the col between NE Elephant and SW Elephant. Other than the 50 yards or so across the marsh at about .7 miles in I followed orange the whole way. Easy to pick up the orange flag on the other side of the marsh. Even if there hadn't been orange flag the herd path I followed would be difficult to miss on the climb. Went left at the col, southwest, across the large blowdown or logged area. That's mostly flat for a couple hundred yards. Picked up more orange flag when the woods started up again and the slope angled up to get to the summit, direct route. My Garmin said 1.49 miles to the top, a bit longer than other routes due to going to the col first. 58 minutes up. Got a little twisted around on the descent, ended up about 200' west (i.e. right) of my climb track. That was a slower line, more marsh to walk through, more spruce to deal with (almost zero spruce on the climb). Picked up my original track about .1 after the marsh, fast moving back to the truck. 55 minutes down,

Didn't see anyone all day, and only a couple entries from June in the logbook up top.  
Name
Name: Joe Connelly 
E-Mail
E-Mail: joeconn4@comcast.net 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2018-06-26 
Link
Link: https:// 
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