| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mahoosuc Arm, Old Speck Mountain, Slide Mountain, Sunday River Whitecap, Stowe Mountain, Bald Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Speck Pond Trail, May Cutoff, Mahoosuc Trail, Grafton Loop Trail, bushwhack, road walk |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, August 14, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
left one vehicle at grafton loop lot on rt 26. ample parking. drove around to speck pond trailhead. north road and success pond road in great shape. drove success pond road all the way through to berlin after the hike and it is in the best shape that i have seen it. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
numerous small brooks along route were a non issue. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
speck pond trail a bit damp and slippery in places. some mud along may cut off which we hiked out and back to mahoosuc arm and mahoosuc trail junction. we doubled back and followed speck pond trail to the pond. a litte confusing around the pond as the mahoosuc trail has been re routed, but the old blazes are still in place and the camp site map still show its old location. just continue around the pond as if headed south bound and you soon reach the new junction. open ledges up old speck were nice and dry. grafton loop trail is in great shape with worn in, but still nice soft footing. we continued around slide and as we neared miles gap turned to bushwhack up slide. going was a little slow owing to blowdown and undergrowth along with some small cliffs to navigate. woods though were generally open to scrappy up to the recognized highpoint. on the way down we followed the same general route, but got a bit further west and were cliffed out about halfway down. moving back east we found the line we had used and made out way back to the trail. more good going and mostly dry trail to the open summit of sunday river whitecap. the same over stowe and bald and back down to the road. the lower portion of the trail was easy to follow through the snowmobile trails thanks to good signage. a short road walk led us back to the parking lot.
great day for this hike. nice and cool early then pretty sweaty in the afternoon. great views along the way. good bushwhack up to slide. pretty steep and cliffy in spots. may be easier to go at from slide brook camp site, but can't be sure. hiked this section of grafton loop trail a few years ago and it is definitely worn in a bit more than it was. really nice walking. thanks to amy for a nice hike. |
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 | Name: |
bryan, Nordic Gal |
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 | E-Mail: |
bryancuddihee@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-08-15 |
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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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