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Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Israel, Beede Falls, NH
Trails
Trails: Wentworth Trail, Mead Trail, Guinea Pond Trail, Sandwich Notch Road, Bearcamp River Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, April 28, 2019
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Parked at Mead Base - no issues. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Small Patches 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Those on Wentworth and Mead (and there were a lot of them) were doable with rock-hopping. Guinea Pond Trail was somewhat more precarious - see the notes below. The crossing of Bearcamp River on Bearcamp River Trail just below Beede Falls has a very nice bridge. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Mead Trail needs a lot of maintenance - blazes are faded and there is a lot of debris in the trail. A few blowdowns on Wentworth and Mead. The bypass around the wet areas on Guinea Pond Trail could be marked better. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Didn't see any. If they like very wet trails and lots of river crossings, they'd probably be fine. 
Bugs
Bugs: Saw one right at the beginning of the hike. That's it. In a few weeks, though... 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Nada. 
 
Comments
Comments: What a fun loop hike up and around Mt. Israel! Started up Wentworth Trail - some standing and running water and muddy areas, but no ice or snow at all until the ridgeline. The stretch of trail along the ridge alternated between sheltered areas with a foot-high, relatively stable monorail and ledgier areas of bare rock with no ice or snow. A few sections had the monorail go over large puddles of water - luckily it held for us, but that might not last for much longer. No traction is necessary. Summit had excellent views of the Sandwich Range.

I brought my snowshoes in anticipation of Mead Trail being snow-covered (it does go down the north side of the mountain, after all). However, they were unnecessary, as Mead Trail was mostly snow-free with only a few short stretches of snow in the upper part (and right near the bottom). Mead Trail was nice and gentle, however it is sparsely blazed and little-used, and therefore might be difficult to follow for less-experienced hikers. We didn't have much trouble following it though. There's one unfortunately-situated blowdown on lower Mead, right across a log bridge over water, and just at the right height to not be sure whether to go over or under. (We ended up going over it.) Another log bridge just after that is submerged in water, and thus required 50 feet of postholing to get around. The lower junction (and in fact all junctions on this hike) was well-signed.

Guinea Pond Trail, as expected, was extremely wet and muddy. The high-water bypass a couple tenths from the Mead junction was marked with pink flagging tape, however the tape was at widely spaced intervals that made it unclear exactly where to cross the power-line swath (which the bypass crosses twice). Even this bypass was wet and muddy in spots, but still not as bad as the main trail. Once we got back on the main trail, the fun wasn't over yet - the very wet and muddy areas continue for a few more tenths. On this stretch, there are several places where it takes considerable thought to avoid getting feet wet, including one place where we had to cross about 10 feet of running water on a single log that had been partly chewed by beavers. Keeping one's feet dry also meant lots of switching sides of the trail, and lots of leaps across water. Eventually the wet areas ended, but the whole trail was fairly muddy. There was still a little bit of snow and ice on the trail in spots (it is a snowmobile trail in the winter), but nothing that needed traction since the snow and ice was melting quickly.

Sandwich Notch Road was also muddy in places. It still had some short stretches of ice and snow, and plenty of water in the potholes. There was additionally a significant amount of debris in the road. Thus, the road is clearly not ready for vehicle traffic and may need at least a few weeks to dry off.

The best-maintained and least wet and muddy stretch of trail on this hike was the final one - the Bearcamp River Trail. Beede Falls was flowing very well, and was incredibly beautiful. There was also a side trail to some lower cascades that were also very nice. Blazes here were nicely kept up (the only well-kept-up blazes that we saw all day).

We saw only two other people all day - one on Wentworth and one walking Sandwich Notch Road. The weather was pretty good - no rain, and the only really windy spots were the exposed areas atop Israel. Thanks Gwen and Mark for joining me!  
Name
Name: GN 
E-Mail
E-Mail:  
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2019-04-28 
Link
Link: https:// 
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