| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Webster Slide Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Wachipauka Pond Trail, Webster Slide Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Large roadside area on Route 25. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Minor and rock hoppable. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Wachipauka Pond Trail very brushy. Quite a few smaller stepover blowdowns. Webster Slide Trail has a bunch of blowdowns, including many that require a slight bushwhack around...felt like an abandoned trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I wouldn't subject a dog to the current level of mosquitoes. |
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 | Bugs: |
Near trailhead, a few black flies and deer flies. After clearing the first height of land, mosquitoes are absolutely horrible. Didn't let up at all, all the way to the summit. If one dared to pause, they could be heard all over, sounding similar to as if there was a highway nearby. Biting whilst running, heavy biting if walking at a fast pace, massive biting if slowing or stopping (which happened involuntarily due to blowdowns on Webster Slide Trail). |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Canteen on Wachipauka Pond Trail. Could be bait placed by mosquitoes. |
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 | Comments: |
Wachipauka Pond Trail was mostly dry but very brushy - airway only a foot wide in places. Some minor mud patches. Significant mud at beginning of Webster Slide Trail. Otherwise, Webster Slide Trail resembled an abandoned trail due to blowdowns and apparent lack of recent use.
Had I known how bad the mosquitoes were, I would have never bothered with this one. The ambushed maybe a half mile into the hike...I figured they'd let up, but they never did. Nearly turned around multiple times and would have been forced to if I hadn't brought a long sleeve shirt to limit exposed skin.
Second worst mosquito situation I've ever dealt with. If compared to a Smokey and the Bandit movie, it'd be the 3rd. Compared to a Phil Collins song, it would be a duet of Sussudio with Gilbert Gottfried. Compared to a Brady Bunch plot, it'd be the one in which Marcia got hit in the face with a football by Peter, then run over with a car by Jan, then trampled by the family during their sack race. Compared to a Major League Baseball team, it'd be the 1962 New York Mets' wives' grandmothers without their glasses. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21 at franklinwebpublishing dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2011-05-31 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos/NewHampshire/websterslidemtn-2011-0531.php |
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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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