| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Echo, Mt. Stickney, Mt. Rosebrook, Mt Oscar, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Forest roads, spur path, bushwhacks, snowshoe trails, ski trails, hiking trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 20, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Mine was the second one in the Sugarloaf lot on Zealand Road @ 8AM. Maybe 15 or so in the lot and on the road mid-afternoon. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I was expecting to cross the Mount Tom Brook twice but never did once.** A few tributaries on FR155 go underneath the road or are bridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
As far as the .5 mile Hiking Trail I used to Mt. Oscar, it is in good shape. There are LOTS of medium and large 'hiker symbol' signs showing the way along with a handful of arrows on this trail. There are a couple of gnarly felled trees on the snowshoe trail from high on Stickney's shoulder which might not be so fun with snowshoes unless the snowpack is about 5 feet. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Didn't see any. |
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 | Bugs: |
I didn't even notice any until I stopped on FR155 toward the end and I zipped off my pantlegs - and then only a few small black flies which were just slightly annoying. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
The Rosebrook Range has intrigued me for no real reason so it was time to check it out.
I took FR155 (diverting to the 'Wildlife Pond' spur path which was well worth it), passing the Climber's Path cairn along the way and many viewpoints of the Sugarloaves and Hale. Beyond perhaps 1.5 miles the road became a little less of a road and increasingly wet. **Later on I thought I was going to cross the Mount Tom Brook but this road I took kept to the north side of it eventually connecting onto FR192. I followed this road to about 2900' and just SW of the 3085' peak (SE Echo??) where I started the whack maybe 4.5 miles in - no issues on this short stretch. Once there I traversed NW on the ridge to Mt. Echo and onto Mt. Stickney encountering a fair amount of thickness throughout. Often on this ridge walk there would be the appearance of potential views on either side but it was an illusion as when I cut through the trees toward them I was only greeted with more trees - so I spent this time imagining what this walk might have been several generations ago. Coming off of Mt. Stickney I drifted a bit on the S side and when I corrected this I almost instantly found a snowshoe trail - something I had planned on hitting but not so soon. Curious, I walked back up it toward Stickney for about 200 yards and it stopped at corner of the WMNF boundary.
Descending from here it was an easy path toward Mt. Rosebrook, coming out onto the ski trails just below the summit where the views I had longed for appeared toward Mt. Washington and the Presidentials. After hitting the high point I spent some time at the summit area just taking it in, then I took ski trails to the 'Hiking Trail' to Mt. Oscar's summit where I sat on the S facing ledges for some time admiring the Zealand Valley and beyond. Finally, I took another ski trail N down to a point where it started to bank toward the BW base area - here I whacked nearly due W until I slotted myself along one of the tributaries I had crossed on FR155 earlier.
This was an interesting and convoluted adventure. Even though the SE part of this ridge is well grown, the stretch near Mt. Rosebrook and onto Mt. Oscar more than made up for it. Other than a single runner on the Mt. Rosebrook summit area I didn't see a soul all day: very easy to believe up to that point but hard to believe on that summit and Mt. Oscar's given the fantastic scenery and weather.
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 | Name: |
HMJ |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-05-20 |
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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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