| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Carrigain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Signal Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, July 27, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
No cars in the parking lot when we got there at 9 AM and none when we returned at 4 PM. But we are sure there was one in between because we saw a guy on the trail. Sawyer River Road had a sign as we entered that said there was construction and to be prepared for possible LONG delays. We saw a truck and some equipment, but fortunately they were not working when we got there and they were gone before we left. They were apparently still shoring up a major washout from Irene. Dirt road was in good shape. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Crossings were not difficult. Even after the downpour they were not bad, even though the entire trail became one long brook crossing. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No blowdowns. There were some places that turned into small ponds after the downpour, but they were still passable, especially considering that our boots couldn't get any wetter than they already were. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
A couple but not an issue. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
There are a couple of revisions to the Signal Ridge Trail since the 29th edition of the White Mountain Guide. First, the book-described bushwhack from the parking lot to avoid the crossing of Whiteface Brook is now the official trail and the old trail is decommissioned. Secondly, the junction of the Signal Ridge Trail with the Carrigain Notch Trail is further along than it used to be. We got confused when we came to a point where the beaver pond was on the left instead of on the right so we backtracked to where an arrow on a tree had directed us and realized that from the former junction the old Signal Ridge Trail was now shut down.
The old trail still looked usable so in the interests of sticking to the Book and the Map and also in the interests of any future redlining attempts based on the 29th edition we took the old trail and found it quite hikable (descending we took the new re-route). We didn't see any reason for them to decommission the old route and the new route seemed to include a PUD but it was all interesting anyway. We had a nice stay at the summit observation deck (no wind, no rain) but as we descended the mountain and were on the exposed ridge the rain started and became torrential. The trail quickly turned into a brook, and fortunately the thunder didn't start till we were off the ridge. At this point we spotted the only other human soul we saw all day. A hiker with a yellow windbreaker appeared in front of us and as the rain was pelting down he apparently decided the summit was not a good idea so he turned around and returned back down the trail and we never saw him again. We don't think he was a hallucination because he left a set of footprints in the new mud. The rain stopped after about a half hour and the sun came out and we had a successful slog back to the car. Thanks to Lone Wolf (#40) and Camo Mike (#10, I think). |
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 | Name: |
greatoz |
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 | E-Mail: |
greatoz.tz...gmail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-07-27 |
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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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