| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Cascade Mountain, Mt. Hayes, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Peabody Brook Trail, Great Falls Spur, Baldcap Ledges Spur, Mahoosuc Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, November 11, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The dirt road from North Road to the Mahoosuc Trail trailhead was rough beyond Centennial Trail trailhead. Seems like a lot of people marked at the junction with the logging road that later crossings the Mahoosuc Trail. Beyond there, there were a few places that were rough for cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rock hops |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
We took out some blowdowns, but some remain on the Mahoosuc Trail between Dream Lake and Centennial, a few of which will require a chainsaw or axe (near Dream Lake and somewhere a few miles south). |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
A few scramble ledges. Heard gunshots throughout the day. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Classic shoulder season conditions. Mixture of dry trail and mud down low, transition into 1-2 inches of snow not long thereafter. Peabody Brook Trail was generally good going until reaching Baldcap Ledges Spur (nice views, but it's almost a mile roundtrip with some vertical). Between that junction and the Dryad Falls Trail junction, quite a few areas of mud and puddles with a little bit of recent beaver activity noted. Dream Lake was iced over.
Mahoousc Trail from there to Centennial Trail junction was a bit sloppy with an inch or two of snow, some slippery ledges, occasional ice (avoidable with care), and mud. A few nice view ledges along the way. Cascade Mountain was underwhelming with essentially no views from the top. Found the probably highpoint to be maybe 50 feet off the trail. Decent climb up Mt. Hayes toward the end of the day.
From Centennial over the summit and to the excellent southern view ledges was wet in places, but not too bad. Decent from the ledges was rough - looks like water flows directly down the trail, making it quite rocky for a good stretch. Some mudpits in the flatter areas.
Made it through the whole hike without needing traction, but if the partially melted stuff sets up overnight, it would be helpful to have Microspikes handy.
Thank you to Bryan for tagging along for two more off the NH300 Highest list. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-11-11 |
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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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