| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bald Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bald Mountain Notch Trail, herd path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, May 16, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Room for only 2-3 cars at the gated road entrance but I suppose more could park off the side of the road, although that option is limited some by ditches and narrow shoulders. There was one SUV there when we arrived in the afternoon, and it was there when we left. On the drive up we saw a dead moose that had been really smashed by a vehicle in the vicinity of exits 28 & 29 on I-93; and on the way back in that same area came across two cars stopped one in each lane watching a moose in the median, watching them with amusement. Really people, if you must stare do it from the shoulder. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Step overs. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Bald Mtn Notch well "blazed". Much of it is former primary (and now snowmobile trail) and secondary haul roads that are easy walking, with a few mud patches mostly to the west of the height of trail. The herd path to the peak is unsigned and starts a short ways up from Rowells Creek crossing. I probably wouldn't have noticed it in my normal spaced out mode, but I luckily remembered rocket21's post from last year and so I looked for one, and then it was fairly obvious to see and pretty easy to follow. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Easy hiking for Pepper but not a lot of water; maybe one small drainage on the way up and a couple after the height of trail. Rowell's Brook had a good flow. He had really enjoyed many sip n dips on the Ice Gulch Trail earlier in the day, so he was happy to find any on this trail. |
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 | Bugs: |
A few black flies if we stopped for long, but there was a nice breeze and by moving along they were of no consequence today. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Bald Mountain (Stark)
This was our fourth redlining hike of the day which consisted of driving a lot to and between shortish hikes of Boy Mtn, Peboaumauk Loop, Church Path, and this hike. I usually try to mix a nice peak hike in with the redlining, but thought there were none for these, although Boy Mtn is pleasant. Fortunately as I reached the height of trail I could see Bald Mtn towering above us, and I remembered rocket's post from last year about a herd path up Bald Mtn. The herd path was easy to follow, it was nicely steep, and it led to some fine views in many directions from different ledges in a nice breeze. That addition made the whole trail feel like a real hike, something I would do more often if I was local. The return walk was a pleasant woods stroll. All in all, this hike just gave the entire day a nice glow. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-05-16 |
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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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