Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Israel, NH |
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| Trails: |
Guinea Pond Trail, Mead Trail, abandoned Firewarden's Trail, herd paths, bushwhacks |
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| Date of Hike: |
Friday, November 27, 2015 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
plenty of parking at the Guinea Pond Trailhead off Sandwich Notch Road. Sandwich Notch Road in its usual horrible shape. I was glad I had 4WD and good snowtires as there were a LOT of icy sections. Mid-day, when I left there was a bit of 2-way traffic and a dirt bike - had to be really careful for places to pull over. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
all were rock-hoppable... lots of stream crossings and mud pit crossings near the beaver swamps and the Mead Trail |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
quite a few large blowdowns up the Mead Tr - most had well-established herd paths |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
lots of water - why not!!!! |
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| Bugs: |
some spider webs along the trail |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
Terrific time exploring the herd paths and old trail on the northwest side of the top. I jogged in to Mead Trail and eventually jogged back down the Mead from the summit after exploring. I was really looking for evidence of the old Firewarden's cabin but found nothing definitive. I found a few mounds of stones with herd paths around them, and I assume from the old trail descriptions, that I was in the right area.
It wasn't that easy to find the old trail from the summit itself - I spent a decent amount of time putting around up there. There is flagging on some trees but it doesn't seem to follow the actual trail - ?
Here's a terrific resource for this area and many others:
http://www.franklinsites.com/losthikingtrails/viewtrail.php?id=2
Anyway, I eventually found the abandoned trail (maintained apparently, occasionally, although the path was sketchy in places - glad I had a tracking device!!!!). I finally turned around after dropping to around 1500' or 1600' - VERY steep and slippery area was very difficult to pull myself back uphill after sliding down it off the ridge. I could hear activity below so I don't think I was far from civilization down there.
Terrific time fun to jog all the way out. Saw almost noone except at the summit area. Took a few headers on the way up and down and did get a little muddy but trail runners worked well. |
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| Name: |
Becca Munroe |
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| E-Mail: |
beccahiker@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-11-27 |
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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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