| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sentinel Mountain, Canaan Mountain, Mt. Flagg, Mt. Shaw, Black Snoot, Big Ball Mountain, Little Ball Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Dave Green Trail, Sentinel Connector Trail, Canaan Mountain Trail, bushwhack, Mt. Flagg Trail, Gorilla Trail, Black Snout Trail, Black Snout Spur, Banana Trail, bushwhack, McDuffee Road, Canaan Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, November 13, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked at Camp Merrowvista in Tuftonboro with prior permission. They are cool with hikers, but do request that you check in and out with them. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Most of these trails are the off the radar ones, but were in good shape. The roughest is the Gorilla Trail, with several minor blowdowns, brushy sections and areas of obscure footbed. All of which make up its charm. :) |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure. No water though. |
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 | Bugs: |
A few! The warm weather must have woken them up. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
From the camp, we took the DGT up to the ridge just west of Sentinel. From there were did an out back to the peak. Backtracking, we continued on to where the CMT starts to drop and curve around Canaan Mountain. From there we whacked up through open woods and boulders to the summit of Canaan, where there is a jar register and restricted view. We then whacked down to the MFT and continued on to the ledges just before the summit of Flagg, which was our extended lunch spot. These ledges are a prime viewing spot in the Ossipees. We continued over the rough and tumble GT to the summit of Shaw, where the vista to the Whites was amazing. The former log bench here seems to have been taken apart. From Shaw, we took carriage roads to Black Snout, then retraced our steps a bit to descend the steep BT to Big Ball. We couldn't really find the spur trail to Little Ball, so we did a short bushwhack over to it. We were losing light quickly at this point, so we descended the rest of the BT to McDuffee Road and walked the roads back to the camp.
No snow or ice encountered, but the very thick leaf cover was challenging and slippery in spots. It was also hiding many rocks and holes. I ended up hiking in shorts due to the warm temps. This is a fantastic loop with lots of stretches of open ledge walking (especially between Big Ball and Little Ball) and huge panoramic views on the quieter and wilder western side of the Ossipees. |
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 | Name: |
KenM |
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 | E-Mail: |
kmacgray@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-11-13 |
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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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