| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Cathedral Ledge, White Horse Ledge, Middle Moat Mountain, South Moat Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bryce Link, Bryce Path, Cathedral Ledge Path, Red Ridge Link, Red Ridge Trail, Moat Mountain Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, June 8, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Small area by sign (for Bryce Path). Parked head in rather than parallel, as to save room. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None difficult. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Hardly any blowdowns on any of the trails and evidence that one had been taken care of recently. Mucky area near intersection of Red Ridge Link and Red Ridge Trail, but may be a seasonal issue, don't remember it from later summer a few years ago. Thanks for your work. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Should be good. There are a few areas to take caution, like the small slide shortly after the brook crossing on Red Ridge Trail. |
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 | Bugs: |
I am 61, I have been hiking a lot over the past 15-20 years and a little in the previous years. This was without a doubt the second worst experience with bugs I have ever had (getting into Baxter State Park in June without reservations was the worst - should have known when I got in so easily). Thank God we have bug hats. We will have to get a stronger repellent. Black flies, skeeters, and even a few ticks! The other report on the Moats had it right about those bugs. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Lost a little blood to those @#$%! |
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 | Comments: |
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.... Fortunately, the former outweighed the latter. We had already done a Red Ridge/Moat Mtn Trail loop; we had been up to South Moat from the other side. We needed the middle. We also needed Red Ridge Link and some of the Cathedral/White Horse trails. Hence our unorthodox plans. We went up Bryce link, there are several herd paths and bike paths off of here, just pay attention, you'll be fine. Took a short detour and took the Cathedral Ledge Trail to Cathedral Ledge. Bugs weren't bad here. On to White Horse Ledge, looked over to the Moats, they looked so far away. Red Ridge Link descends quickly to the Red Ridge Trail, so far so good. RRT was fine, but a lot of season mud and small streams in this area, and that's where the onslaught started. Constant misery from Black flies and skeeters. Path was pretty along the brook, which was easy to cross. In and out of trees for a while, then the climb up the ridge. Stunning views and so many of those bushes that look like azaleas (I forget what they're called). The other report is true, the areas between the peaks is not that difficult. Beautiful woodland walk between the trail junction and Middle Moat. There were trillium there. Fantastic ridgewalk, excellent views. On way down Red Ridge, there was a steady breeze which did wonders for the bug problem. We came out by headlamp. That morning, we had decided we would get the small path connecting to Echo Lake at a later time, but we ended up going down it anyway. Apart from the bugs, this was one of the most beautiful hikes I have done. |
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 | Name: |
Beckie and Prema |
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 | E-Mail: |
beckiejani@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-06-09 |
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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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