| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Chocorua, Middle Sister, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Champney Falls Trail, Champney Falls Cutoff, Middle Sister Trail, Piper Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
There was only one other car when we arrived at 9AM. I think hikers knew there would be high water with the brook crossings. |
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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: |
With all the rain from the previous day, the brook crossings were challenging. For the first brook crossing all the stepping rocks were underwater so we walked the bridge along the Kancamagus Highway, and used a herd path to join up with the main trail.
At the second brook crossing, we ran into the same issue. After spending time looking for a safe way to cross, we decided the only way to cross was barefoot…however Jon did cross with his boots on and trekking poles. We soon ran into a third brook crossing with the same issue. [Note that we discovered at the second brook crossing, we could have done a bushwhack up a ridge to the right to bypass these two crossings…which two of us did on the return.] |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
If I recall, there were two trees blocking the trail on the Champney Falls Cutoff that could be taken care of with a handsaw. I think there was another tree blocking the tree on the Piper Trail but I'm not 100% sure. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The trail itself had areas of running water and mud with a few large puddles up high that were difficult to get over without getting wet. With all the rain we’ve been having, the short loop to Champney Falls was well worth it. Champney Falls and Pitcher Falls were spectacular.
The panorama from Middle Sister’s summit [3,340 feet] is on par with that of Mt. Chocorua, although slightly lower; the views are very similar! The rocks slabs on the descent down Middle Sister were slick and two of us fell on our bottoms. With the wind, slick rock and the time of day, we decided to skip Mt. Chocorua.
However, we were up for at least checking out the base of Mt. Chocorua! It started to shower however Kelly and I wanted to check it out. The exposed ledges were drier than we thought and I think we could have continued to the summit but by then, our hearts had made up our minds to turn around.
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 | Name: |
RollingRock |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-09-20 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.facebook.com/groups/PemiValleyHikers/posts/1484456015648764/ |
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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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