| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Heator Mountain, Suncook Mountain, Round Pond, NH |
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 | Trails: |
East Gilford Trail, Fire Road, Round Pond Trail, bushwhacks, Piper - Round Pond Link, unofficial trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
At the East Gilford trailhead at the end of Wood Road off Bickford Road. Low clearance vehicles use caution as both roads have rough sections due to washouts. The drive in here was definitely rougher than my last visit. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues with the few drainages I crossed. Lots of running and standing water on the section of PRPL descending to the pond, despite the adjacent drainage ditch. The trail was still a stream in places. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One shin-high birch across the RPT just after its junction with FR. A couple of water bars were recently cleaned in this same stretch, but others are clogged. PRPL has both newer green blazes and older blue blazes heading toward Suncook. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure. Plenty of water right now! |
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 | Bugs: |
Nope. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
No mylar balloons on Suncook this time. |
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 | Comments: |
Inspired by skidder's report from two days ago, I set out to revisit these two obscure Belknap peaks, as well as go to Round Pond.
FR isn't an exciting walk, but it gets you there. From near the RPT / PRPL junction, I did the short, very open bushwhack to Heator, where there is now a register, not there on my last visit. The usual suspects are listed. ;) The easiest way up is to circle around to the south of the ledges.
Back on PRPL, I followed it around Suncook until hitting the unofficial trail indicated on the Dave Roberts map. The junction is marked with a small cairn, and the route is now heavily flagged. The footbed is obscure in places, but the flagging takes you right to the blowdown-laden summit (sign, no register).
From Suncook, instead of doubling back, I continued to follow the flagged path to the east bump of Suncook. At this point, the path descends southeast toward the scout camp. I headed off to the northeast, bushwhacking through open woods toward Round Pond, skirting around some wet / swampy areas. I was shooting for another obscure path indicated on the DR map, but couldn't find it. I popped out on the PRPL about 0.1 mi. from the pond. No views over the pond today due to the rain and fog. From the pond, I followed trails all the way back to the parking area.
Nice to visit these little known peaks again. Everything was wet (naturally) from the rain. There were a few showers, but no heavy rain. I saw no one. ;) |
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 | Name: |
KenM |
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 | E-Mail: |
kmacgray@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-10-25 |
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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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