| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Zealand Notch, Shoal Pond, Thoreau Falls, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Zealand Trail, Ethan Pond Trail, Shoal Pond Trail, Thoreau Falls Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 9, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Zealand Rd is open! Since it is still early, there was plenty of parking. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
A couple of slightly interesting crossings on the Zealand trail. Poles helped. The crossing of the North Fork at Thoreau Falls looked death defying. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Zealand tr: A couple blowdowns, easily stepped over.
Ethan Pond tr: One blowdown, maybe.
Shoal pond tr: The 0.7 I went had no issues.
Thoreau falls tr-Only went 0.1, nothing |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one dog, but with all that water, its a dog's hike. :) Just keep an eye on them near the major crossings. |
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 | Bugs: |
A couple of black flies along the beaver ponds and Shoal |
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 | Lost and Found: |
There was a 1/2 way buried pole off trail close to the bridged crossing of the North Fork. |
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 | Comments: |
It was great to get back into the Pemi for the first time in a few yrs. Zealand trail had the kitchen sink for conditions. Dry, wet, muddy, monorail soft and hard, and standing water. That leftover snow will be gone soon. Crossings were swollen but fairly straight forward. Poles definitely helped. The Ethan pond tr was dry from the Twinway Junction to almost the Thoreau Falls tr. Awesome views from the Whitewall slide, as usual. There were a couple areas of unavoidable monorail right before Thoreau Falls tr, and it actually held my 300 lb mass. Shoal Pond trail was partially muddy, but mostly dry to the pond. Almost stepped on a spruce goose on the loose. The pond was beautiful as always, and very quiet. Leftover BIG drifts on the south side. I spent a good hour at the pond, just relaxing. On the way back out, I checked Thoreau falls, which were raging. Spent another 45 min there. Then out I went, back to the car, with about a 10 min break at Zealand Pond. Great 12 mile hike, I highly recommend. |
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 | Name: |
grouseking |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-05-10 |
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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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