| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Unknown Pond Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mill Brook Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, bushwhack, Unknown Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, June 27, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The gate was open when I got there at 6:30am. I hear the gate is never really an issue but I played it safe and parked right outside of it at a pull off with one other car. Another car was there upon my return at 3pm. I think there was only one car in the Unknown Pond lot when I came out of the woods (2:30ish maybe??). They were just getting ready to depart. Probably staying overnight at the pond. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Some small ones of little consequence even with high water on Mill Brook Trail. The more significant ones were on Unknown Pond Trail. Water is a bit high right now. They weren’t dangerous but you may get your feet or at least your boots a bit wet. Some don’t really have rocks to hop on. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All the trails I was on today could use a little work. All were overgrown in some places. Mill Brook was the worst and Unknown Pond had the smallesst problem with it. They were a few spots towards the end of Mill Brook and the beginning (northern) section of Kilkenny ridge I was on today that were so overgrown that it actually made the trail a bit hard to follow.
I also don’t know if I recall seeing any blazes other than one or two faded yellow ones (one of which was on an older section of trail no longer used I think) on the Kilkenny Ridge Trail. Coming from the north, the first set of bog bridges over Kilback Pond are not all stable. Some are rotting and I actually fell through one. Luckily I was not injured. Please be careful and use your eyes to identify where it looks like it’s rotting if traveling on this trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I think I heard one with a bell on near Unknown Pond but I never actually saw it. One in the lot of Uninown Pond Trail. It followed after me but the owners caught up to it and brought it back to them. Thank you. |
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 | Bugs: |
The mosquitos were bad in the morning. I died bugspray and reapplied it plenty. That held them at bay. I think the bugs would have been just about unbearable had I not had bug spray. Some black flies and possibly gnats later in the day as well. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Found someone’s GPS and bug spray on the trail. It was on Kilkenny Ridge Trail pretty close to the jct with Mill Brook Trail if I recall correctly. Please email me if it’s yours :) |
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 | Comments: |
Well I had planned a grand 20+ mile loop over Unknown Pond Peak, Cabot, and Terrace Mtn but I somehow messed up my ankle when I fell on one of the MANY VERY slippery rocks on Mill Brook Trail. I roll my ankle plenty on the trail and I’m almost always able to quickly walk it off. This time I take a seemingly inconsequential fall where nothing gets hurts and awhile later I think I may have sprained my ankle 🙃Really not sure what happened there. Anyway, my day got cut short but I still got in over 10 miles, some new redlines, and a new NH500 peak :)
Things were much wetter than I anticipated in the morning. This combined with the “luxuriant undergrowth†described in the guidebook along Mill Brook Trail did not make for a pleasant start to the day. I eventually put on my rain jacket and took my phone and maps out of my packets and put them in my bag as I was getting pretty soaked. I could have used my precipitation pants as well but that seemed like too much work 😜 Besides, it was a warm day and I dried off quickly. Other than a few spots on Mill Brook Trail and Kilkenny Ridge Trail where things were so overgrown that it made the trail difficult to follow, the trails were easy to follow even though I only recall seeing 2 blazes throughout the day. Please see my note about the bog bridges above.
There were some cool moose bones on the bushwhack up to Unknown Pond Peak that I and others have seen. There is no herd path to this peak so it’s a genuine bushwhack but a very easy and short one (with the nicest grade EVER :D) so it’s a great one to do if you’re just learning like me! The 2.1 mile road walk at the end was awful on the feet.
The rocks were slippery throughout the day (long after the undergrowth had dried off) but awful in the morning and I took a few spills even in the flat areas. There was some very nasty mud on the Unknown Pond Trail. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-06-28 |
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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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