| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Shoal Pond Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Zealand Tr., Ethan Pond Tr., Shoal Pond Tr., Bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, September 15, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room at the Zealand Rd. lot. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All were easy to step over. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Shoal Pond Tr. is a quagmire after the Pond, lots of bog bridges need to be replaced. Those near the pond are relatively new and strong, beyond they are rotted. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Lots of water and mud for them to have a grand time. |
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 | Bugs: |
Some still lingering and were annoying but not biting. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Lost another pair of BW glasses in the pencil pines. |
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 | Comments: |
There does not seem to be a good approach for this peak. Previous reports indicated access from Thoreau Falls Tr. and also along the ridge starting from Ethan Pond Trail as well, but those reports did not seem too inviting. So we ventured in from Shoal Pond Tr. starting a ways south of the pond and headed to the small col between the two bumps. Initially the going was through open woods and very low hobble bush along old skidder roads. Once we got near the col this all changed to a mass of pencil pine and very old blow downs. It was in this mess that I lost my glasses (they were fogging up so bad I put them on my head during a break and then took off without remembering and they were snatched by the trees). We finally made it to the recognized summit and signed in. This is a difficult spot to find because of the large flat top and dense scrappy brush. We chose to just drop off the top to the east and beeline it back to the Shoal Pond Tr. for our descent and we did get down below the pencil pines after 200-300 yards. After a bit the 'open' woods we found ourselves in the midst of a Christmas tree farm with no easy exit. The final .25 mile to the trail was back on skidder roads and bog. Surprisingly we found very few herd paths on this peak and those we did run unto were very faint, seemingly only used once or twice. I guess the 4-legged animals are a lot smarter than peak baggers, Shoal Pond Peak is not on their list. |
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 | Name: |
FranM |
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 | E-Mail: |
maineri@metrocast.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-09-18 |
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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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