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Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Carter Ledge, Middle Sister, NH
Trails
Trails: Piper Trail, Nickerson Ledge Trail, Carter Ledge Trail, Middle Sister Trail, West Side Trail, Liberty Trail, Hammond Trail, Weetamoo Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, May 26, 2019
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Lots of spaces at Piper Trailhead at 8:30 in the morning. The lot clearly overflowed during the day. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Only crossing was near the bottom of Weetamoo Trail. It looks harder from a distance than up close - a log and some debris help. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Trails were generally easy to follow. I appreciated the new yellow blazes on Carter Ledge between the Nickerson Ledge junction and the top of the ledge. The blazes on the open areas of Middle Sister Trail could be redone though. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Carter Ledge Trail is not a dog-friendly trail - we passed a guy who was coming down who said that his dog couldn't make it across some of the more difficult ledges (possibly the T25 ledge). All other trails should be OK, however in dry seasons there wouldn't be much water on this loop. 
Bugs
Bugs: Yes - there were moderate swarms of bugs (a few mosquitoes, mostly black flies) throughout the hike. Head nets were very helpful in the lower elevations, and optional at the higher elevations. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Nada. 
 
Comments
Comments: What a fun and exhausting loop! Piper Trail was mostly dry except for the mudpit right at the beginning. Nickerson Ledge Trail was fairly dry up to Nickerson Ledge, and then had some areas of mud and standing water between there and the Carter Ledge junction. Nickerson Ledge Trail could use some more blazes in the vicinity of Nickerson Ledge - it was clear and obvious everywhere else.

Carter Ledge Trail was an adventure. It was very easy to follow between the Nickerson Ledge junction and the top of Carter Ledge thanks to the new blazes (according to the WMG, this has not always been the case). The steep sections are occasionally wet, but still doable. The climb up to Middle Sister was quite strenuous - lots of steep ledges, rock scrambling, and running water on the sheltered areas. Carter Ledge Trail deserves its spot on the Terrifying 25 list - the ledge that puts it on the list slopes fairly steeply and has practically no handholds or footholds. Long legs would make traversing this ledge quite a bit easier, however neither me nor my hiking partner have them. A slip would have resulted in a fall of maybe 30 feet into the treetops. A railing or a few iron rungs (of the sort on the Precipice Trail in Acadia) would make that traverse much safer and easier, but hey, isn't not having those aids part of the fun?

Compared to Carter Ledge Trail, Middle Sister Trail was easy. At the summit of Middle Sister, it started to very lightly rain, and continued until we were on First Sister, at which point the rain stopped and the sun came out again. Following the trail over the Three Sisters can take some care.

We decided to take West Side Trail around the summit of Chocorua, for a few reasons: 1) We had both done Chocorua before, 2) I needed West Side Trail for my redlining, and 3) we suspected that the summit of Chocorua would be a madhouse (hikers who passed us later said that that was indeed the case). West Side Trail was quite wet and unblazed, but still very easy to follow. Liberty Trail between West Side Trail and Jim Liberty Cabin is very rough and had a few tricky, wet sections. Hammond Trail was fairly unremarkable - wet in spots, dry in spots, steep in spots, flat in spots.

At this point, we were both tired, but Weetamoo Trail is a very nice trail to descend at the end of a long day. The lower and middle sections are generally pretty smooth, and it was never more than a moderate descent. It was also quite scenic in spots.

I purposely chose lesser-used trails in an attempt to avoid the crowds, however there were a surprising number of people doing the same loop that we did (though surely fewer than those who just used the main trails). The only time the trail seemed crowded was the final walk out on Piper, where we could see groups of hikers ahead and behind us the whole time.

What an amazing hike - 9.6 miles, ~3,000 vertical feet, 6.1 new redlining miles, 1 new T25, 1 52WAV. Good to get back into the swing of long hikes like this!  
Name
Name: GN 
E-Mail
E-Mail:  
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2019-05-27 
Link
Link: https:// 
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