| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Crystal Mountain - Northwest Peak, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Logging Spur Road, bushwhack |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
from rt. 145 just south of its junction with rt. 3 near pittsburg i drove in cedar stream road for 8.9 miles to an unsigned intersection with crystal brook road. cedar stream road is in great shape though i will note that once the sun hit it in the afternoon it had a couple pretty muddy sections. i passed through at least on gate on the way out so presumably vehicle access could change at times. crystal brook road was in great shape and i was able to drive all the way to my planned parking spot at 2.9 miles. this road also had a gate at .9 which may be closed at times. i parked at the junction with a spur road that headed up the slopes of the mountain and would make a sporting drive for a high clearance 4wd, but was impassable in my car. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Breakable Crust, Mud - Significant, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
|
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
|
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
|
|
 | Bugs: |
|
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
i hiked up the road to its end at just under a mile at a former log landing. from here a herd path continued into the woods and was clearly a route used my animals and hunters alike. a direct line would have require going over a small bump that looked sprucey so i followed a soggy road that contoured south before turning up another road then moose paths up over a lower shoulder of said bump. there was a heavy dusting of snow on the ground and trees and the muddy game paths were partially frozen. a short descent down the other side of the bump led to the short, but thick and blowdown riddled ascent up to the summit of northwest crystal. a line a bit farther to the north on the way down got me around most of the blowdown, but there was still some thick going before picking up my tracks back over the bump and down the moose paths.
blaze orange highly recommended.
i ended up being happy accessing this peak from the north rather than from the south via corser brook, etc. i had planned to combine it with north blue ridge the previous day, but time constraints didn't allow it. where i parked would probably make a decent starting point to make a loop of nw crystal and n blue ridge as crystal brook road looks to connect over to tracy brook road. the woods west of the peak were thick with moose and i moved some along, including a group of at least 3, on a couple different occasions along with a deer up near the summit. though i have run into numerous moose off trail this year i have to admit that being alone in the middle of nowhere surrounded by such large animals hasn't ceased to make me feel quite small. at one point i could hear a couple in some nearby scrub trying to figure what i was so i gave them a whistle and they took off like a shot. nice views to the west walking back down the logging spur road.
|
|
 | Name: |
bryan |
|
 | E-Mail: |
bryancuddihee@yahoo.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2013-11-05 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
