Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Cotton Mountain, NH |
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| Trails: |
Cotton Mountain Trail, Prescott Trail, Old Highway |
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| Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Mine was only car in trail head lot coming and going |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
All crossings were trivial |
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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: |
I decided it was time to revisit Cotton Mountain by Squam Lake. I've only hiked over this peak back in 2013 as part of Crawford Ridgepole traverse with Mike Obrien (Amicus). I found Cotton Mountain to be very steep and rugged little peak both ascending via Cotton Mountain Trail from Rt 113 and down the other side dropping down into a col between Cotton and Livermore Mountains. Snow was packed granular and shallow. These trails could be hazardous in icy conditions. One could easily have made side trip to Mount Livermore, but I opted to skip Livermore due to lack of time and descended via Prescott Trail and then back down to Rt 113 via Old Highway. Prescott Trail is very nice steady grade. Old Highway down to Rt 113 was new trail for me. I found Old Highway to be really interesting as it features so many stonewalls and also an old cemetery. Last 1/2 mile has serious drainage issues and is dominated in one spot by brook that takes over the trail for short distance. All in all I found this loop to be an interesting option for short hike of roughly 4 miles and 3 hours travel time. |
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| Name: |
Jazzbo |
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| E-Mail: |
rdcaron@rcn.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-01-14 |
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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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