| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
The Horn, The Bulge, Mt. Cabot, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Unknown Pond Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, Horn Spur, Bunnell Notch Trail, York Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 15, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I was the 6th car to get rejected at the closed gate at 6:40 this morning. It allowed for breakfast on the tailgate and pleasant conversation with other hikers. Topics included baby carrying and fatal black bear attacks (92% of the the 60 recorded fatalities in the US in the last 110 years were by lone adult males, rarely does a mother with cubs actually kill anyone! Learned on SLASR podcast on the drive up)! Both lots were overflowed at 2:30. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The first big crossing on Unknown Pond would have been rock hop-able on submerged rocks. The rest would have been dry rock hops. We just walked through all of them and dunked our heads in most as well! |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Early on Unknown Pond Trail the trail suddenly turns into a stream-there is a short, well-established herd path to the right to bypass this. The guidebook says they planned on fixing this in 2022 but as of today no work has been done to address the issue. A good 5-6 blowdowns on Kilkenny between the pond and Cabot, some with established herd paths around them. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
great dog route with all the mud and water but I left Fin at home due to heat/humidity and her geriatric status |
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 | Bugs: |
Yes. first 20 minutes mosquitoes were horrible. Rest of the day there were occasional mosquitoes, black flies, and deer flies. Never felt the need for head net or bug spray. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Nice counter-clockwise loop. It rained hard overnight up there and the Unknown Pond Trail up to the pond was the wettest/muddiest three miles I have ever hiked. It was awesome! Margaret discovered what the "car wash effect" is! The undergrowth is the very definition of "luxuriant". Must have seen 50+ toads in this stretch. The Horn views are superb-it was socked in the first time I summited in 2016. The final scramble up Horn was TOUGH for Margaret(we also watched two grown men struggle a bit). Big shout out to my man Jordan for assisting us in getting her up and down that boulder safely-it was a two-man job. Once we were descending Cabot the expected conga line was headed up in the opposite direction. Lots more mud on Bunnell Notch Trail. Another amazing day in the whites with the world's best hiking partner:) |
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 | Name: |
Spence, Margaret |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-07-15 |
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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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