| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Big Ball Mountain, Black Snoot, Mt. Shaw, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Shaw Trail, Tate Mountain Trail, Banana Trail, Black Snout Spur Trail, Black Snout Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, June 11, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Informal lot off Route 171 was full this morning. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None on the ascent, but rock hoppable on the descent (Mt. Shaw Trail). |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All listed trails have issues. Blazing is in dire need of refreshing. Foot trails are choked with brush in places. Some large blowdowns on each. Unmitigated erosion throughout. Very sad to see. LRCT gives the appearance of prioritizing fundraising, installation of signs, and closing trails. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Not too bad down low. Black flies, mosquitoes, and ticks vexing higher up. Also some yellow jackets lingering near Black Snoot. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Initial portion of the Mt. Shaw Trail is still haggard looking from the recent logging operation.
Tate Mountain Trail is vague in a few places.
Not much in way of blueberry blossoms on the Tate Mountain Trail, but a fair amount on the Banana Trail prior to Big Ball.
Banana Trail between Big Ball Mountain and Black Snoot is very brushy in places and has faded blazes, as well as a few significant blowdowns that have been there for awhile. Seems like LRCT would rather the trail disappear.
The carriage roads are getting very grassy and brushy, making them single file and very tick friendly. Would be nice for them to get brush hogged back.
Mt. Shaw Trail has a few areas of major mud and or running water from creeks getting clogged with blowdown. Trail is very overgrown just below the carriage road and is extremely vague in the flats.
Dull roar of bikes audible in places, but no more so than on most of the 4Ks this week.
On the plus side, there was a nice breeze throughout that helped make the black flies and warm temperatures bearable. And, throughout the entire loop on a sunny day, we saw a total of 4 sets of hikers. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-06-11 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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