| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sandwich Dome, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Guinea Pond Trail, Black Mountain Pond Trail, Algonquin Trail, Bennett Street Trail, Flat Mountain Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, September 10, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
parked at a small lot at the junction of sandwich notch road and the road that leads into the Mead conservation center. and rode my bike down sandwich notch road. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
no problems. scary dry in the sandwich wilderness. Mary Cary Falls completely dry. a couple of trickles on Bennett Street trail where you could filter if you need to, but the area is desperate for sustained rainfall. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
a few step overs on BMP and Alongquin. Bennett Street trail is in good shape, with evidence of recent trail work. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
the upper part of BMP trail with the boulders and ledges might be tricky. |
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 | Bugs: |
none |
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 | Lost and Found: |
none |
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|
 | Comments: |
fairly uneventful solo redlining trip for me. i did the trails that i had planned to do and everything was pretty straightforward. i chose the clockwise direction, after reading previous trip reports about going UP, Black Mountain Pond trail, and i couldn't agree more. (i wouldn't want to descend over those rocks/ledges...especially if they were wet.) Algonquin was a nice ridge walk, though there is a spot nearing the top where the trail comes to a"Y", with each branch of the trail equally trodden down. I started down the right, but turned around after stepping over some decomposing logs. the left branch IS the trail, but there isn't a blaze (that i saw) at that weird junction to indicate that. previous trip reports had mentioned that it could be a little tricky staying on BMP trails as it leaves the camping area. i didn't have any trouble. there is a sign to indicate the direction of the trail and it descends rather steeply from the camping area. my last note is the about the beaver pond on Guinea Pond trail. if you are coming from Sandwich Notch road walking in an easterly direction to the pond...the bypass that is there (off to the right of the trail) is no longer needed, and i 'assumed' that previously flooded out area was the only trouble spot. however, if you are hiking the eastern section of GP (traveling west), the trail is flooded by the pond! with no sign or flagging or really any discernible clue on which way to go. i at first tried to BW left around the pond, but that wasn't working and i returned to the trail and looked closer at the ground. there is a small embankment on the right that looked sort of trodden down, but whether by hoof or boot, i couldn't really tell. i followed 'the path' up and over and got a look at a half-dozen or so downed trees that with some careful balancing could carry me across the stagnant puddles and mud to higher ground. it turns out that this is exactly what you need to do, because once on higher ground, take a dozen or so steps into the woods and there is the trail and a bright yellow blaze. once back on GP trail i made fast tracks back to my bike. |
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 | Name: |
hnd |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-09-12 |
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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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