| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Nineteen-Mile Brook Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Black Angel Trail, Wild River Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, September 28, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room at both the Nineteen-Mile Brook trailhead and the Wild River trailhead. Wild River Road is long but in good condition. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Crossings on the lower Carter Dome Trail were straightforward rock hops. Crossings on Black Angel above the Highwater junction were easy. The crossing of Wild River on the combined Wild River/Black Angel trails was difficult - the crossing directly across is deep with swiftly flowing water, but a little bit above there is a shallower crossing where the wading is easier. From there, there's a bit of a rock scramble in the outwash to get back to the trail. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Plenty of blowdowns on Black Angel, but no big issues to get around them. The flatter sections of Black Angel, both in the upper and lower parts of the trail, had significant standing water and mud. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
They might need help on some of the tricky scrambles on the upper Black Angel Trail. And they'd need to be carried across the Wild River. |
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 | Bugs: |
A few mosquitoes were buzzing around. They bothered my friend more than they bothered me. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
A gray hat was lying on the ground at the Nineteen-Mile Brook trailhead. We put it on a rock. |
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 | Comments: |
There's no easy way to redline the western portion of Black Angel Trail. But this seemed to be the best way to do it. The climb up on Nineteen-Mile Brook Trail and Carter Dome Trail is rocky, and wet in places, but straightforward and moderate the whole way. The uppermost section of Black Angel Trail goes across a very steep sidehill, with very rough footing and some tricky rock scrambles. The trail gets easier and alternates between a gradual and moderate descent for a while. There's an excellent spring near the top of this section, and the whole area was very quiet and felt truly wilderness-y. The moderate descent down the sidehill was beautiful because the birch leaves were just starting to turn yellow. At a brook crossing near the bottom of this section, there's a small campsite just upstream from the trail. The lower section of trail seemed to go on forever, and had a bunch of muddy spots, but we got through it. I was still glad to finally see the sign at the junction with Wild River Trail. Experienced redliners shouldn't have much trouble following Black Angel Trail. Just like yesterday, the walk out on Wild River Trail was easy.
I've now forded Wild River six times in five days. Still need a couple more, but those will have to wait until next year. Glad the water level finally receded enough to get these done! |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-09-29 |
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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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