| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Moat Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Moat Mountain Trail, Red Ridge Trail, Red Ridge Link |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 24, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Large parking area, but it draws crowds for Dana's Baths. It wasn't full today. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All doable with dry trail runners. We used a downed tree trunk to cross Lucy Brook on Moat Mtn. We used a rotting stem and rocks to cross Lucy Brook on Red Ridge where it meets Moat Mtn. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There were no blocking blowdowns; one tight duckunder on Moat Mtn before it meets Red Ridge. All signs in place. There is water in the Red Ridge between Red Ridge Link and Moat Mtn, first a series of muddy spots and then some running water. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Pepper had fun. The day was sunny but cool with a breeze and lower temps; so he enjoyed a few sip n dips but didn't need water on the upper Moat Mtn and Red Ridge which are rather dry. He eagerly read the dog "newspaper" postings on the trail as we were going in. We met a nice Golden on the summit having a fun day with its human companions. I used a leash on Pepper for the section around Dana Baths since it attracts lots of families and dogs on the return leg. |
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 | Bugs: |
A couple of flies buzzed about when we stopped for a snack at the intersection of Red Ridge Link and White Horse Ledge, probably because there was no wind there, but that was it. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I used my old microspikes for perhaps a few hundred feet heading up N. Moat due to ice flows in the trail. But a couple we met on the summit had come up without spikes. I presume they had to go off trail. If I had to go down the trail I would have put on the Hillsounds. But the ice was pretty hard today. Other than that stretch spikes are unnecessary. It's quite a change from a few weeks ago.
This is a favorite hike of ours, especially during blueberry season, but anytime it is cool since Pepper is exposed to a lot of sun on the extensive Red Ridge ledges. The views from the summit and the ledges are superb.
Pepper was fresh as a daisy for the hike despite running up and down the Tecumseh hiking and then ski trails yesterday. Thanks to Travis and Alex (and Marshall?) who halted their hike to reunite Pepper and me before we bagged a few Tecumsehs in one day (only the first one together) and completely missed Bill Schor's post-hike second Grid party in the parking area. Pepper gives you four paws up and a tail wag. Karma comes around; later that day we were able to reunite a lost Lab with its very distressed owner. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-04-24 |
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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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