| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Melvin Hill, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Colable Mine Road, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, November 5, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked outside the gated road to the Colable Mine Road, off of Rt. 4A in Springfield. On maps, this is marked as a "wayside" parking area. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Glad I didn't have Skipper as we came within feet of a bristley porcupine. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
While most folks seemed to be coming in from roads to the west, I was curious about the approach from the south, and what kind of mine was in Giles State Forest. The lower third of the road was super wide and obvious, taking us to what was once a large mica mine (Globe Mica Mine, I think). Evidence of rock collecting, tailings, huge flooded mine site, some mine hardware... really fun to bump into all of this. Above the mine workings, (1750' approx.), the road pretty much disappears. And whatever is drawn on maps (an old road that went almost all the way north to the summit) did not seem to exist at all. So we bushwhacked the remainder through a mix of small whippets in recently logged area, one marshy area, and open woods which got pretty steep as we approached the summit. The summit was recognized. We came out in similar fashion, again looking for any evidence of old roads, which we did not find, until we approached the vicinity of the mining site. About 1:30 uphill, including geocaches and poking around the mining site. About :50 out on the return trip.
This was a super fun hike. Three geocaches along the way, super cool rocks, large mine site, a bristly porcupine... and the third peak of the day. Fun company with John M, aka JEM3. |
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 | Name: |
Beth Z. |
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 | E-Mail: |
btzimr @ gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-11-05 |
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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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