| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
The Bulge, Mt. Cabot, North Terrace Mountain, South Terrace Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Unknown Pond Trail, bushwhack, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, Cabot Spring Spur, Terrace Mountain Spur, York Pond Trail, road walk |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, July 22, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Only car at the Unknown Pond trailhead when I arrived at 7am and left and 7:45pm. The road in was better than I remember it; not so many potholes to dodge. The gate was open when I arrived and left although there was an event or some sort of camp going on at the pond by the fish hatchery. All that said, I called the fish hatchery while on the trail to make sure I’d be able to get out past 4pm (as the book suggests you do) as they hadn’t picked up yesterday or earlier in the day when I called and the man I spoke to was a bit curt; he said something along the lines of “we try to keep the gate open but we’ll close it if there’s any issues.†Not sure if he thought I was some teenager trying to sneak into the fish hatchery to party or what 😂 In any case, I suppose the message is to not do something stupid and ruin the good parking situation with them we’ve got now for other hikers. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The ones on Unknown Pond Trail were all doable in the morning but the ones on the southern section of trail will mean wet feet in high water as there’s not many rocks to hop on. The two 75 yards apart on York Pond Trail were a bit more challenging. The first was a rock hop on partially submerged rocks and the second I had to step on totally submerged rocks a couple inches so my boots got wet but my feet (barely) did not. These crossings may often mean wet feet at high water but are small and shouldn’t be dangerous unless water levels are much above average. The crossing of the dam was similar if a bit easier. Just awkward going over the dam structure. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The southern section of Unknown Pond Trail will see maintenance this Saturday from the trail adopter just an FYI. No blowdowns but this trail is overgrown and could really use brushing. The northern section of the trail although much less used, is not overgrown. Not sure why it isn’t better travelled; round trip to Cabot is 10mi with about 3100ft of elevation gain similar to other routes to Cabot. I don’t recall seeing blaze on any part of this trail.
The sections of KRT I was on today weren’t too bad. I believe there were some blowdowns but not many. There was yellow blaze on these sections of KRT although not consistently. Some real bad erosion/washout in between Cabot and Unknown Pond. If I remember correctly, some brushing would be nice on the Terrace Mtn section but nothing bad at all.
York Pond Trail needs brushing. It was worse than Unknown Pond Trail but better than Mill Brook trail and section of the KRT between Mill Brook Trail and Unknown Pond Trail that I did a few weeks back. There’s also several failing bog bridges that need replaced and likely pose a safety concern. I don’t recall blaze on this trail either |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I didn’t see any but I imagine this would be a doable hike for your average hiker dog. There seemed to be lots of water. |
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 | Bugs: |
The mosquitos are always in abundance up in the north country. A couple as I was getting ready at the car so I remembered to put it on there for once which helped. Some very loud and obnoxious buzzing things but I never actually saw them. Deer flies maybe? I don’t recall seeing any black flies other than the one I found on my eyeball once I got home. Not very pleasant trying to get it out without damaging my eye. I hope that’s a once in a lifetime experience. The bugs mostly went away when it was raining. They are not as abundant or vicious as they were a few weeks ago in this area. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Picked up some trash. Please don’t leave your orange peels out to disintegrate. They take much longer than you’d imagine to degrade.
Still looking for the owner of a GPS I found on the KRT between Mill Brook trail and Unkown Pond Trail a few weeks back. |
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 | Comments: |
Unnamed 3250ft peak, The Bulge, Mount Cabot, North, Middle, and South peaks of Mount Terrace
Some redlining and gridding yesterday :)
Unknown Pond Trail (south section) —> out-and-back on Unknown Pond Trail (north section) —> Kilkenny Ridge Trail (KRT) from Unknown Pond Trail to York Pond Trail including Cabot Spring Spur and Terrace Mtn spur along the way —> York Pond Trail —> Road wall.
The hike was about 18mi with about 5300 feet of elevation gain.
Let’s start with the bushwhack 😂 I’d seen a report of a little 3200ft peak overlooking Unknown Pomd with nice views so I thought I’d bushwhack to it. The only issue was that I bushwhacked the wrong 3200ft peak. The one with a view is just north of the jct of KRT with Unknown Pond Trail whereas I bushwhacked to one just east of the jct. I realized my mistake when I got to the “summit†and it was all heavily wooded.†I discovered a cool little meadow though 😂
The northern section of Unknown Pond Trail is fine but the southern section needs brushing and it should be receiving it this Saturday from the trail maintainer. It was muddy per usual. The KRT wasn’t too bad. Some rough footing in places mainly in the ascent to Cabot from Unknown Pond and headed down South Terrace to York Pond Trail. Cabot Spring Spur is obvious to spot as there’s a cairn and a very visibly beaten path off the main trail. It soon becomes totally overgrown and awful though don’t you worry. Just keep your head down and watch where the footbed is (and your foot placemenet!). Not very pleasant in the rain as you got totally soaked and I’d just taken my rain pants off. Quite a long redlining spur too. The section over Terrace Mtn was a bit overgrown but not as bad as Unknown Pond. York Pond Trail needs some work with replacing bog bridges, brushing, and finding a way to try and minimize mud. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-07-23 |
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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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