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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Oregon Mountain, Mowglis Mountain, NH
Trails
Trails: Old Dicey Road, Elwell Trail, Oregon Mountain Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Monday, August 13, 2018
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Plenty of parking at the trailhead parking area for the Back 80 Loop Trail. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Not an issue. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Trails generally in good shape. Some recent work on the Elwell Trail (see below, in notes), continues to improve this. Oregon Mountain Trail between Carter-Gibbs Trail intersection and Mowglis Mountain is getting brushy in some sections, as is Elwell Trail between Old Dicey Road and Oregon Mountain. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs: A few mosquitoes. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: A nice hike in the mist; summits of the two mountains were in low clouds and cloud-socked, making for some atmosphere.

Old Dicey Road -- past the trailhead for the Lower Manning Trail to Welton Falls -- has been improved and graded in the past couple of weeks, and can now be driven, slowly and with extreme care, by low-clearance passenger vehicles. (Some sections of the road are still wheel-rutted with a rocky crown in the middle, so driving slightly to one side was the only way to keep from scraping the crown; we found out the hard way.) Also, some much-needed earthen water bars have been added, so driving over these requires care, too.

Beyond the private gate near the trailhead parking, new signage and blaze poles have been added to indicate Old Dicey Road and the Elwell Trail, straight ahead, and to aid in keeping folks off the private drive that heads to the right (east) up the hill.

At the end of Old Dicey Road, Elwell Trail has been re-routed a short bit to keep it in the woods and out of the old, eroded skid paths where it had been for a number of years. The re-route also eliminates the somewhat confusing sharp turn when heading east, toward Oregon Mountain. Now, Old Dicey Road meets the Elwell Trail at a t-junction, with the old sign now bolted to a tree -- left (west) is Mowglis Mountain and right (east) is Oregon Mountain.

The re-route takes the trail out of the old skid paths and several wet areas, and probably eliminates about 100-150 feet of this.

The one wet area that still exists, before the t-junction, has been cleaned and a drainage channel dug -- it was working well in yesterday's rain, and should help dry out this section in the months to come.

Nice new sign has been installed at the intersection of the Elwell Trail and Carter-Gibbs Trail, replacing the old, rotted Camp Mowglis sign from whoknowswhen.

Also, a welcome change to take advantage of all of the recent blowdown removal on the Elwell Trail near Mowglis Mountain. No more stopping to climb over or duck under the large pine trees that used to block the trail.

A lovely -- if a bit wet -- 5-mile jaunt in now-bright green, mossy area, backcountry area near Mt. Cardigan.  
Name
Name: Pancks and Tesco Heaney 
E-Mail
E-Mail:  
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2018-08-14 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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