| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Scarface Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Skookumchuck Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, November 30, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Couple cars at Skookumchuck parking area. Plenty of room. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
So when you first start up the Skook, before the trail turns south, that mountain directly in front of you is 'Bickford', as opposed to 'Big Bickford' (which is a separate peak). So I went up the Skook just past the heritage trail junction and just past a little seeping drainage, then turned left and headed right up Bickford. The snow was about 4-6" deep, had a crust that tended to break a second later, and drop you an inch or so. Not bad though.
I biased gradually to the south to get around some short cliffs and thick areas. Then the top opened right up nice. I hunted around for the highspot, but never found a jar for Bickford. Certainly could be my lack of experience. Peakbagger calls Bickford an 'Unofficially Named Peak'.
I continued on towards Scarface Mtn, using the Gaia demo program on smart phone. These are the 'glades' referred to in trip reports. Lots of ferns in those trip report pictures, all conveniently buried now. So no ticks, but it ain't perfect; there certainly are deer and there certainly are deer hunters up there. Red fleece seemed like a good choice. I spent the day sweeping snow off it, but I didn't get shot. The glades were real nice with the sun poking thru now and then. The woods got progressively tighter and the terrain began climbing steeper as I approached Scarface. The last couple tenths I got into some short steep cliffy ledges that had just enough dirt on them to grow some thick evergreens. It got tight enough where I was totally hunched over, pulling myself up, and had to break some one inch branches to get up the damn thing. But I don't think it would be considered awful, there's really maybe a hundred yards that's like that.
The top is kind of open and flat, gladed. I did find the jar within about ten minutes. It's conveniently on a high spot, it's just you have to wander the trees a bit for that hump to come into view.
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 | Name: |
Steve Marion |
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 | E-Mail: |
swampfoxsteve@gmail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-11-30 |
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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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