Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Whiteface, East Sleeper, NH |
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| Trails: |
Cascade Path, Woodbury Trail, bushwhack, Woodbury Trail East Section, Kate Sleeper Trail, East Sleeper Spur, Mt. Tripyramid Trail, Livermore Trail, Norway Rapids Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Saturday, November 12, 2016 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
plenty of parking at Waterville Academy/Cascade Path Trailhead - lot has room for dozens of cars |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Drifts, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
All crossings fairly easy and rock-hoppable |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
occasional blowdown here and there, but, nothing super bigly |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
lots of water - wouldn't be bad |
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| Bugs: |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
Terrific day!!!! Objective was to follow as closely as possibly the old/abandoned Woodbury Trail from Waterville Valley to Mt Whiteface. From Waterville Valley, the Woodbury Trail closely follows Cascade Brook and appears to be maintained as a XC ski trail. At around 2700', I crossed Cascade Brook and attempted to follow the old trail. I found some interesting "rust" in the col. I didn't go as far south as Lost Pass this time. From there, I slabbed up the southwest spur of Whiteface, finding mostly open woods. At around 3400' on a plateau, I found some large blowdowns and was closely following a moose. I eventually got all tangled up in a HUGE blowdown area which had MULTIPLE toppled trees and deep snow. I walked on multiple levels of tree trunks, nowhere near the ground. Tried whatever I could do to get out of this trap - I cut to the edge and VOILA, found the eastern portion of the Woodbury Trail!!!! Very excited to see the old blazes and even an old arrow sign.
Followed the old trail around 1.5 miles to the junction with the Sleeper Trail across from the Downes Brook Trail. Old trail had some deadends but otherwise easy to follow but some parts very scrappy. Ground was somewhat frozen which was good as the ground was sometimes wet.
After reaching the Kate Sleeper Trail, I headed up to Whiteface - lots of folks - only folks I saw all day. From there, returned via Sleeper Trail, the Sleepers, and the south slide on South Tripyramid.
Around a mile or 2 from the car, needed headlamp... crossing Cascade Brook at the Cascades was quite difficult - I could not find the crossing in the dark - had to bushwhack around in the dark to find the trail - trail very obscure under headlamp back to car.
Big shout out to rocket21's http://www.franklinsites.com/losthikingtrails/viewtrail.php?id=22 lost trails hiking page - very fun to find these old trails went!!!! |
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| Name: |
Becca Munroe |
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| E-Mail: |
beccahiker@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-11-12 |
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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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