| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Kineo, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Kineo Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, October 5, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at the Mt Kineo trailhead. The road in is dirt in and very bumpy in a spot or two. Wide dirt road though so plenty of room to avoid any rocks jutting out of the road which are few and far between. Fine for low clearance cars with care. Small parking lot but I doubt it’s ever full. |
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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: |
I think the trail crosses the brook that it roughly follows down low, once up higher. Or maybe I’m making that up. In any case, no issues. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I think the trail had the rare, often old, yellow blaze. I didn’t find it hard to follow though. I don’t recall any blowdowns so even if there were some, there couldn’t have been too many. Some planks/bog bridges and such along the trail could certainly be replaced. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure |
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 | Bugs: |
Surprisingly a few buzzing around the summit, but not biting.
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Day 339, Peak 329. A nice little post-work hike :) Hadn’t been on this trail since 2020…interesting to return to it. The grades varied to the HOL but overall I’d call the trail moderate. Some spots of deep mud. Some bog bridges and such, some of which are in good condition, others move to and fro and could be replaced.
From the HOL I began whacking in open woods to the NE. A herd path to follow in the beginning. I then turned a bit more northerly and contoured below the spine of the ridge rather than following it. Given that some seemed to say that the woods aren’t great on this and given the ups and downs, I think this worked very well. Open woods and good footing as far as a tenth of a mile below the ridgeline. I slabbed up to the ridge from in between the first and second major knobs along the ridge, hitting the spine of the ridge at the top of the 3200ft knob. The woods on the ridge here were different than what I found below the ridge but I wouldn’t describe them as thick. That said, there was a minor blowdown area along the ridge. Pretty easy to navigate though. One major false summit. I think there may have been another as well. Assuming you just continue along the ridge and don’t stop on one of the false summits, the canister shouldn’t be hard to find at all.
To return, I slabbed off the ridge almost directly from the summit to mix things up and avoid the false summits. That said, I thought I may get myself into some trickier stuff as when I began slabbing up the ridge on my ascent, it seemed the side of the mountain became steeper and the woods looked thicker. Luckily, this was not the case. The woods were open and the grade was fairly flat and provided decent footing. Slightly trickier than contouring below the ridge meet the trail but I’d still recommend it. I roughly followed my ascent line back to just east of the HOL, then enjoyed a quick hike back out to my car.
The hike was a little more than 4mi with a little more than 1300ft of gain. It took me 2.5hrs to complete with a long break at the summit; lots of sign ins to read! This appears to be a rather popular one! 26 more days and 36 more peaks to go… |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-10-11 |
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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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