| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Carter Ledge, Middle Sister, Mt. Chocorua, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Carter Ledge Trail, Middle Sister Trail, Piper Trail, Liberty Trail, West Side Trail, Champney Falls Cutoff |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, October 13, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The campground is gated. I got there around 9 am and pulled up to the gate but off to the left in case someone needed to get in. There's two such spots on the right. When I returned there were 4 cars across the entrance near the road, with one spot open to allow cars to get in or out, and maybe four cars parked along the road. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rock steps |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
1 significant but no problem blowdown on Carter Ledge and one crawl under on Middle Sister. Boots and summer gaiters got soaked in places on both Carter Ledge & Middle Sister from the wet vegetation encroaching into the trail, but if dry it wouldn't have been an issue. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Pepper would give this hike 2 paws up. Much of the time there was no one around so he was off leash. No views today, but down low the woods were full of squeaky toy chipmunks to chase, and there was some water for sip n dips. The ledges weren't a problem. We saw one other dog on our way down. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The Chamber of Commerce must have handled the forecast for the second day in a row; instead of the forecast blue skies and sun we hiked in thick fog in the upper sections, and in overcast down low. Pepper completed the requirements for the Terrifying 25 with yesterday's Baldface Circle hike and today's Carter Ledge, but we'll get the two remaining optional hikes later just for fun. Doing these trails hasn't been terrifying, just a lot of fun after long absences. The ledges weren't much of a problem for Pepper either day, even with light dampness from the fog. They were instead the most interesting part of each hike, since we couldn't see anything. I wouldn't want to be on them when icy though. The upper part of Middle Sister was the most difficult, because going down, with very slippery rocks in the spruce-fir section and wet and deep leaves in the hardwood making surfaces slippery and hiding roots, holes between rocks, loose rocks, etc. My feet slipped out from under me once, and I became much more cautious thereafter. Down low the hiking was very nice. We mostly avoided other hikers until we hit Piper, and then it was pretty crowded except for West side & then CF cutoff to Middle Sister After that we met a few groups going up somewhat later in the day. Any day on the trails with Pepper is a good day. Thanks Pep. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-10-13 |
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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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