| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Rice Mountain , NH |
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 | Trails: |
Road, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, September 25, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
From Rt 26, I drove around 4.5mi north along Coarser Brook Rd, then turned left onto South Valley Brook Rd which is unnamed on Gaia. This road forks in about 3/4mi. The left fork that I planned to take up was steep and a bit washed out so I parked at the bottom of it. This road is shown on both CalTopo and Gaia but not in exactly the correct location though close enough. High clearance could get up a ways on this road but not to the end of it as shown on Gaia. Mid clearance probably too but I didn’t risk it. Coarser Brook Rd and South Valley Brook Rd should be okay for low clearance with caution. |
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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: |
Rock hopable |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
N/A |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
The brush may be tricky for them. |
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 | Bugs: |
I think there was a fly or two around the summit |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Day 329, Peak 309. 1st of the day. Cold to start but not windy like the day before and it actually warmed up significantly Sunday. I had some really beautiful sunrise colors on my drive in these dirt roads. Don’t get that too often :)
I walked SW along the road for just over 1/3mi. Note that it’s not exactly where Gaia shows it to be thought close to it. Here, at 2300ft at the drainage, it reaches where Gaia DOES show it but forks. The left, follows what Gaia shows and the right (which if memory serves correctly is actually more obvious) crosses the drainage and continues SW. I took the right fork as it would be less steep and I’d follow the N/NE ridge up instead. Also, I believe BOTH forks of the road were blocked with rocks so cars couldn’t continue so parking at the base of the road doesn’t add all that much distance. I crossed the drainage, and then I honestly don’t remember where but I think the road either ended or I quickly turned off of it and started whacking up through brush (not shown on Gaia) toward the ridge. Steep slab up to the ridge. Brush wasn’t too, too bad though it lasted for longe than I would’ve imagined. I hit the ridge around 2800ft and it was steep but open for awhile before moderating at 3000ft. Very pleasant climb in open woods from there to the summit.
I didn’t find the register hard to find. The highpoint is just behind it if coming up the N/NW ridge. Lots of old entries. To descend, I followed my originally planned ascent which was a shot straight up to the summit from where the road is shown as ending on Gaia. As anticipated, this was quite steep, but no cliff bands and quite doable. No brush but also not as open as the N/NW ridge was. Not thick though either. Where I hit the “road” it was actually a herd path in the woods (this was just after crossing the drainage). Came to what actually looked like a road soon enough though which wasn’t too far from where Gaia showed it as ending. The road was a bit soft and wet. Quick walk back out to the car with some views to surrounding peaks :) The hike was almost 3.5mi with around 1200ft of gain. It took me just under 2hr45min to complete. 36 more days and 56 more peaks to go… |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-09-27 |
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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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