| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Kineo - East Peak, Black Hill, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Three Ponds Trail, Mt. Kineo Trail, snowmobile paths, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
First car in the large Three Ponds Trailhead, two others at noon |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Hoppable when not on the snowmobile path, all bridged on wider snowmobile paths |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All good |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
n/a |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Three Ponds Trail was in great shape for the 0.1-mile stretch I was on, quickly veered onto the narrow footpath of Mt Kineo Trail which was in stellar condition - dry soil, waterways easily crossed on bare rocks, a pleasure to trek. Once on the snowmobile paths that was a different story, some wet/muddy areas which were mostly avoidable, other patches with hard snow/ice which was rather grippy and easy to run upon, needless to say shoes got wet and feet got dunked in mud - such is springtime hiking.
Once on the narrow footpath of Mt Kineo Trail to ascend the ridge, the path was easy to follow but contained a supreme amount of fallen branches, too much for me to tackle today; overall the path remained very easy to follow. Left the marked trail at the HOL and followed the ridgetop east. About 6" of snowpack remained at ~2750', some supportive/some collapsible, perhaps snowshoes would have helped for a very small section, I don't regret not carrying them for this low elevation, however.
After the main col before reaching the East Kineo landmass I ended up picking up a yellow blazed snowmobile corridor and following this until about 2920' or so, at which point I bee-lined for the high point. The forest is littered with blue double-blazes which I was trying to understand - originally I thought a property boundary overtop of the ridge, then thought a survey line for the snowmobile pathway, upon reaching the summit and finding the blue blazes go off in multiple directions with a tree number tagged at the peak I realized I have no idea, interesting little mystery, I guess.
Instead of dealing with snow on the return trek, I bushwhacked south/southwest from the deep col to pick up the wider snowmobile path to guide me back to my car. Ended up climbing Black Hill as well since I was out there and it was still early into my day. Nice, steep ascent over fallen hardwood leaves along the NE slope. Signed into the register notebook and had myself a tea break. Figured I'd boogie down toward my car so I descended off Black Hill E/SE over 3 bands of exposed rocks, each with landings comprised of hardwood and soft footing - really neat low mountain, terrifically enjoyable route.
I'll throw in a link to a write-up below with some photos and fun tid-bits. Enjoy!
Happy Climbing!
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|
 | Name: |
Erik Hamilton |
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 | E-Mail: |
ehamilton9481@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-04-20 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.atalkinthewoods.com/trail-reports/east-kineo |
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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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