| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Carrigain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Signal Ridge Trail, Desolation Trail, Carrigain Notch Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 15, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lots of parking off Sawyer River Road, looks like it got busy but not totally overflowed during the day. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Fairly straight-forward rock hops. The one near the Carrigain Notch/Signal Ridge junction (which is enroute to Carrigain) could get really tricky with higher water levels. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Signal Ridge Trail was in good shape, reroutes all easy to follow with old routes brushed in. Desolation Trail is a jumbled mess of boulders up high, probably not much to be done about that. The lower half has seen waterbar work this year, nicely dug out and mostly clear. One bar will probably need to be replaced soon. All blowdowns cleaned up, several looked to have been chopped out somewhat recently, thanks. Bog bridges near the bottom are all toast and really ought to be replaced, it is quite muddy in there and trail widening is already happening. Carrigain Notch Trail near the Desolation junction was slightly overgrown with raspberry bushes, but not too bad yet. No real issues through the notch. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw several happy pups including one maybe 10-pound little guy that didn't like the metal grating on the tower stairs but otherwise walked up easily. |
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 | Bugs: |
A few black flies on the summit, but just enough breeze to keep them down. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Found a pair of sunglasses near the trailhead, left them on the signboard by the parking lot. |
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 | Comments: |
The forecast was pretty questionable with t-storms and heavy rain in the early afternoon forecast, so we changed our intended route (ascend Desolation, descend Signal Ridge) to an out-and-back on the Signal Ridge Trail. But reaching the summit, we had cloudy, but not ominous skies, and views all around (limited range due to haze but still better than expected). We decided to continue the loop, so descend the Desolation Trail. The upper half, as expected based on descriptions, is steep, rocky, and was damp. it took us a while to pick our way down this mess, but once we did it was an easy cruise around and back to the cars. The first segment of the Carrigain Notch Trail from the Desolation junction over to the Nancy Pond junction was gorgeous. The rain and storm came about 90 minutes after we finished, nice! Hope no one was up top during that.
Blueberries are ripe all along Signal Ridge. I slowed our group down quite a lot picking and eating several handfuls worth. I left plenty for others, get them before they spoil! |
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 | Name: |
madmattd |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-08-16 |
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 | Link: |
 https://mattshikes.blogspot.com |
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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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