| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Weeks, Middle Weeks, South Weeks, Mt. Waumbek, Mt. Starr King, NH |
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 | Trails: |
York Pond Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, Starr King Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, September 23, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Berlin Fish Hatchery opened the gate at 7:25 am for the five cars waiting there. New rules per their phone call - gate is opened betw 7-7:30 am each day, then locked at 10 pm regardless of cars left in the lots. At night we retrieved the car at 7:30 pm just fine. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
We changed into water shoes for the Two Brook crossings at start of York Pond. Hiker who posted here on 9/15 did it in trail runners but just barely and being the start of our hike we didn’t want to chance it. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Very brushy and overgrown but Honestly it’s about expectations. I expected a blowdown-fest and apart from one or two tricky step-arounds and a lot of mud, it was not as bad as envisioned. The KRT footbed is gradual for the most part and defined enough to follow. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw several at Waumbek and Starr King |
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 | Bugs: |
Did take home a few who must have caught a ride on me from the brush. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Ju |
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 | Comments: |
Finally we got this done! A ferny forest wonderland on the Weeks with very manageable ups and downs, leading to the reward of Waumbek and Starr King - albeit cloudy and silhouetted by the time we arrived. While there aren’t many redeeming qualities to the 2.5 mi between Waumbek and S. Weeks - lots of dead tree stands - it wasn’t ghastly. And I’d still do it all again in a heartbeat. Importantly however we wore long pants and long shirts. - a big thanks to last week’s poster whereisizzy for that tip. I also wore gloves which spared my hands from the prickers that found the hubby. It was rather fun connecting the section in betw Waumbek and York Pond that we hadn’t done before.
After the initial brisk wake up of the cold water crossings, The ups and downs of the trek were very manageable and kind of fun. N. Weeks has four tiny rocks as a cairn, and behind it was a herd path and a flattened grassy patch where it looks like someone camped. Middle Weeks did not have a distinct summit but we met our only hiker of the day on the Weeks, doing the Cohos and on his way to Canada. The little S. Weeks Spur path with its cairn was a lovely lunch spot, and it’s all day long I marveled at the variety of green hues in the moss and verdant grasses. The repeated downs after the ups of a traverse are strangely energizing. Then of course civilization of the wide paths near a 4K, and that lovely fireplace and Starr King perch on the heavens.
I had feared this trail for two years, for some strange reason - distance, unknown number of ups and downs making it harder, remoteness, water supply, the vagaries of aging joints, the usual little adjustments our sons’ autism requires. We deliberately timed the trek for post-Kilkenny Road Race last weekend, so the crew and participants would clear and pack down the trail, making it easier. But the course was rerouted due to Hurricane Lee so this section wasn’t trod. Meaning we had to trust ourselves, our training, our guts. We did. Some days clouds roll in, and you have to adjust, but some days, it all works out. |
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 | Name: |
TwinMom+1 |
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 | E-Mail: |
mk@mkmarinac.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-09-24 |
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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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