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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Israel, NH
Trails
Trails: Bearcamp River Trail, Wentworth Trail, Mead Trail, Guinea Pond Trail, Sandwich Notch Road
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, May 19, 2013
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Parked at the town park on Sandwich Notch Rd. There's room for double digit cars if parked well. The road is typical gravel up to that point, but shortly thereafter becomes rougher, and there's a few spots low clearance vehicles will find problematic on the way to Guinea Pond. I think I could make it okay with my Corolla, but I live on a gravel road. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: rock steps 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: One multi large stem oak blowdown on Wentworth that probably requires chainsaws or Paul Bunyon. It will force people off trail quite a bit. One beech blowdown on Mead that is axe/chainsaw quality but it's not a big problem. I took out a small one where Mead nears Guinea Pond. A few waterbars on Mead need some work; I used my poles baskets to clean one enough to redirect the seep, but that's temporary. There's a few mud spots, but on the whole I found the trails in pretty good shape with a nice footbed. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Pretty easy day for Pepper. There's no water on Israel itself, but he found plenty of sip n dips elsewhere. Pawpaths were soft and slopes gentle; without sun and with comfy temps he didn't break a pant. We saw one other dog on Wentworth.  
Bugs
Bugs: None, not even when working on a blowdown, until I got back to the parking area, and then the skeeters were worse than the black flies. I ran into some father-son campers on Guinea Pond that said the black flies were annoying if they stopped, but hiking they were okay. Pulled one tick off me on the drive to the Morse trail, and one more after doing that. Pepper may have one; but his full body tick check is next. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Redlining Bearcamp led us to do a loop hike as suggested in the AMC Guide, and it was a nice hike. There's good views from Israel, the trails are easy and have generally nice footbeds, there were no bugs and hardly any people, and there's enough water for Pepper. The two Beebe River Falls need a good rain to impress; the flow today was pretty low. All in all a very pleasant walk in the woods.  
Name
Name: Pepper and Me 
E-Mail
E-Mail: windriversjohn at gmail dot com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2013-05-19 
Link
Link: https:// 
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