| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
West Royce Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Burnt Mill Brook Trail, Basin Rim Trail, Black Angel Trail, Wild River Trail, Wild River Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 5, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The road is in good shape; it is a very nice gravel road. There was no one in the lot when we arrived for a somewhat late start; there were two other vehicles in the modest parking area when we returned. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rock hops. I had planned whenever we did this hike to loop back via the Highwater Trail, but the crossings near Burnt Mill and at the Shelburne Trail were waders in deep and fast enough water I didn't want to do it, nor have Pepper swim it. The Shelburne crossing was deep, wide and fairly fast; I didn't see any good way across it up or down either. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There were 3 major blowdowns on Burnt Mill soon after the trailhead. I cleared out one further up. Otherwise this trail was in pretty good shape, with a nice footbed and lots of waterbars. I used my poles to clear some of them when they were dammed by leaves/needles/small twigs, but hardpacked mud didn't budge. I did the same for Basin Rim. Basin Rim had one significant blowdown if I recall correctly, and for the most part the trail was pretty good. Black Angell has a very wet and muddy section leading down from Rim Jct, and thereafter mixes some very wet/muddy stretches with nice sections, although the lower part was mostly good. It had numerous easy stepovers, a big duckunder and a couple nuisance blowdowns. Wild River was a mix of nice trail with an impressive washout. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Great day for Pepper. The trails were easy and shaded, the temps cool and there were plenty of sip n dip streams. We only saw one other person on the trails and that was way down Black Angel, so he was off leash and free to check out whatever he wanted. He even was treated to the broken wing trick of a grouse. |
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 | Bugs: |
None, although for a brief spell on the road walk the wind died and a couple deer flies buzzed me. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This was another delightful summer walk on trails with stretches of fine footbeds, far from the maddening crowds. We didn't even see anybody at the Blue Brook tentsites. We had a nice chat with the one hiker we did see, Andy who said the Moriah Brook crossing was dicey enough that he changed his hike. The road walk at the end was a bit long but tolerable; we only had to deal with 4 incoming cars. On the road walk Pepper saw his first giant schnauzer and it was big. In his heart Pepper knew he was just as big, but in his brain he could see the difference between giant and miniature, and he calmly stayed with me on our side of the road as we passed them. The weather stayed cloudy much of the hike; with the wind, cooler temps and dryer air, giving this a feel of a Fall hike. Thanks Pepper for a splendid walk in the woods. |
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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: |
2014-07-05 |
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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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