| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Gore Mountain, Notch Mountain, Castle Mountain, Castle Mountain - West Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Brown Road, logging roads, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, January 1, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Meriden Hill was a mess of freeze-thaw, now frozen with deep truck tire ruts, Brown Road was soft with 2-3" of fresh powder. I took my familiar parking spot across from the small cemetery (marked on maps as leading to a quarry, I believe this is snowmobile corridor when snow abounds) and walked the remaining Brown Road into the Vickie Bunnell Preserve lands. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
As none of this route is on marked/maintained trail, there is no maintenance required - however, there is a wide soggy patch on the northern branch logging road leading toward Gore (directly S of Bunnell), requiring woods travel to get around. Any significant crossings were bridged by old roadways. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Tossed many fallen limbs from the old logging roads on the trek out as someone was fat biking, navigating around each fallen branch. Hopefully they had a smoother ride out! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Nope, not for this whack. |
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 | Bugs: |
Nope |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Lovely day exploring high hills of the North Country as huge flurries fell all day. Parking early along a snowy Brown Road, I barebooted past the final residential driveway and into the vast wilderness. Veering left at the first split, I began N/NE toward Bunnell and Gore Mtns. Now familiar with the patch of beaver activity, I entered the woods to skirt around to the north. No new moose tracks since the snow had fallen, which was a surprise. Once back on the old road corridor, travel was quick and efficient with snowshoes atop the crusty snowpack.
As the old logging road begins switch-backing up Gore Mountain, I left the corridor to whack directly up the summit cone through very nice woods, open spruce-fir nearing the recognized summit area. Descending SW toward Notch Mountain, the narrow col was a bit tricky to hit head on and not drop off either side, manageable despite some thiiiick spruce along Notch Mountain, several rock ledges are hidden in the tangle of tight branches, around these I just traipsed around the base of the ledge toward better terrain. The direction I chose to head over Notch Mtn was seriously dense.
Hitting several localized patches of blowdown, I thought nothing of it until standing on the edge of a massive blowdown patch, nearly every mature tree has been toppled with young, bushy balsam growing up tightly around each fallen trunk. What a scene, I have never encountered such an extensive area of devastation. I tried to skirt around the blowdown to the N, and finally W - SW to work around the patch by following moose tracks - overall I did a ton of climbing under, over, and around the sea of downed timber.
Knowing to stay on my course, I had to push through the tangle of trees, I successfully pushed through a narrow bit of blowdown to join the ridge to ascend West Castle. The forest was much more kind and easy going while ascending West Castle, never as steep as I thought it might get. Eventually I encountered the recognized high point, took a few good gulps of hot tea to melt my mustache, glanced at a patch of leaning timber through an opening in the otherwise wooded summit.
Turning away from the blowdown - I descended NW off West Castle to pick up an old logging road which I had spied on satellite maps. From the summit, the woods were friendly during the entire descent - even the enormous patch of hobblebush was not in bloom and did nothing other than snag a snowshoe several times. The ground grew soggy underfoot as I neared the logging road. Following uphill fat bike tire tracks, I descended, tossing downed limbs at any chance I had.
The road I found myself on passed through a gate, where the e-biker had parked. I followed their truck prints back to Brown Road, past several dilapidated seasonal cabins before entering a clearing with several other fine cabins. Brown Road swings N, away from the cabins as it eventually meets back up with my ascending tracks.
No ice was encountered today, Hillsounds went for a ride. Snowshoes for the win simply to spread the footprint out and float atop the crusty, old snow.
Per usual, check out the link provided for a more in-depth write up with some monochromatic, winter photography - enjoy! |
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 | Name: |
Erik Hamilton |
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 | E-Mail: |
ehamilton9481@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-01-03 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.atalkinthewoods.com/trail-reports/gore-west-castle-mountains |
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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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