| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sentinel Mountain, Mt. Flagg, Mt. Shaw, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Sentinel Mountain Trail, Sentinel Connector Trail, Dave Green Trail, Canaan Mountain Trail, Mt. Flagg Trail, Gorilla Trail, High Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, August 28, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at an unmarked trailhead off Bents Road in Ossipee. Shortly after you cross into the Terrace Pines Campground property, there is an unsigned dirt road on the right. 75 yards up is a gate with space off the road for a couple of cars. Do not block the gate. Walk up the road past the gate for a few yards, and the MT leaves left, at a sign marked "Mt. Trail". |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails in decent shape. Beyond Sentinel, this route is lightly traveled, and very lightly traveled between Flagg and Shaw. All trails blazed clearly (each trail in a different color: red for MT, orange for SCT, white for DGT, red again for CMT, yellow for MFT and yellow/red for GT), but there's no signage except along the MT. The CMT is ridiculously overblazed, but in this case that's not a bad thing since the trail constantly twists and turns. I've never seen a trail meander so much. The GT is overgrown climbing up Shaw, but never difficult to follow. Some minor blowdowns along this section. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Fine for dogs, but no water along this route at the moment, so be sure to carry plenty. |
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 | Bugs: |
The summit of Mt. Shaw was SWARMING with dragonflies. It was cool to be in the middle of it. :) |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
A beautiful day to finish up my last two Ossipee 10 peaks, Sentinel and Flagg. The climb up the side of the ridge to Sentinel is short, but STEEP and straight up. Nice views down to Dan Hole Pond, but getting obscured by trees. A better viewpoint is a large open ledge where the SCT meets the DGT.
Both shelters along this route are in decent shape, but are definitely leaning. Nice to know they are out here. The CMT between the two shelters is just crazily laid out, perhaps by a drunken moose. It's all over the place.
Took me a minute to find the MFT at the second shelter, but then followed it up toward Mt. Flagg, where it gets rocky and rough, then ledgy, climbing up to some fantastic open white ledges with tremendous views to the south. Just beyond that is the highpoint of Flagg, which is mostly wooded with a cleared outlook.
I had planned to go only as far as Flagg, but since Shaw was "right there", I decided to add that on as well. I'd been on part of the GT before, but this was my first time hiking the entire thing. It's overgrown, wild, remote feeling, and has some fun hopping over boulders that the volcano kindly left behind. I arrived at the summit of Shaw to find the wonderful views north to the Whites that I was denied over the winter. I could see as far as the Baldfaces and there's just an amazing number of peaks visible from here.
I thought about continuing on and doing a loop down the Thunderbird Trail, but it would have also required a lot of road walking, so I just doubled back and returned the same way. |
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 | Name: |
KenM |
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 | E-Mail: |
kmacgray@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-08-30 |
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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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