| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bryant Mountain, Bacon Pond Hill, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mad Road Trail, Five Summers Trail, Balance Rock Trail, herd path, bushwhacks |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, June 15, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Very limited room without blocking the gate at the start of Mad Road Trail on NH 31 in Washington. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Balance Rock Trail has several large blowdowns along the lower bump that the trail traverses. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
The only nuisance area was along Mad Road Trail in both directions. Bugs were pretty much nonexistent elsewhere. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This was a combo of SNHTG field work and personal exploration.
Mad Road Trail is very easy walking and was wet this morning from the recent rains. Some people may not like walking old roads like this but I find them quite enjoyable.
From the day use parking area at Pillsbury State Park, I walked Five Summers briefly then jumped onto Balance Rock Trail and followed it up to the Boulder where the marked trail ends. As others have a noted, a herd path continues past the boulder, but soon swings away from the summit of Bryant. I bushwhacked up in easy woods to the flat summit plateau. Pretty interesting up here. There are three bumps that have mossy old cairns. The "middle" bump is the highest point and also has a register nearby. I wandered around and found all three cairns but one them you have to watch for as it's hidden by growth.
I returned to Balance Rock via the same route and when I arrived, two geologists from the USGS were there measuring seismic history. I admit I don't completely understand everything they were doing, but it had something to do with how much the boulder has moved over the years, if at all. They demonstrated by giving the boulder a "push", which of course is not visible to the eye. But the readout on the sensors they had attached to the rock clearly showed the flow of energy through it. It was all very nerdy and very cool!
Back on Mad Road Trail, I bushwhacked up from the height-of-land to the unnamed peak known as Bacon Pond Hill. This peak allegedly had a fire tower or other structure on it. The summit is strewn with large blowdowns that must be climbed around, under, or over. I found the register but could not locate the relics that others have reported. It was also at this point when light rain started and it looked like it was going to storm, so I quickly signed the register and made a bee line back to the trail. |
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 | Name: |
KenM |
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 | E-Mail: |
kmacgray@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-06-15 |
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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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