| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sandwich Dome, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Flat Mountain Pond Trail, Guinea Pond Trail, Black Mountain Pond Trail, Mary Cary Falls Spur, Black Mountain Pond Spur, Algonquin Trail, Bennett Street Trail, Gleason Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, January 2, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
With no snow we were able to drive all the way to the summer parking. Yay. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Gah! There were some sketchy ones, namely Cold River, two of the Beebe River and another tributary stream in the Guinea Pond area. My friends were able to cross with just spikes and kept their feet from dunking, but it was a challenge. I brought my Wiggy's Waders and used them for 3 of the crossings. Should have used them on all 4 because I found a roller (rock) and ended up on my hands and knees in the water, surprisingly getting very little water in one boot. Gloves were soaked; thankfully I always bring spares. Pants dried quickly, and it was 30+ degrees and sunny, so no worries. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Surprisingly, someone had very recently ascended Black Mtn. Pond Trail with an axe and did some mightly impressive work. Thanks!! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Black Mountain Pond Trail has a bunch of scrambles which are quite icy at the moment, so not a good dog trail. That said, we had an amazing mountain dog with us who did great. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This was a challenging but fun hike! Except for the stream crossings, Guinea Pond Trail was fine. The beaver swamp area presented no issues. Note that we did the eastern portion of GPT, not the more swampy, beaver-flooded western end. We missed the Guinea Pond Spur but will get that when I do the Wentworth-Mead-Guinea loop.
We visited Mary Cary Falls which were lovely. (I asked who Mary Cary was... do not google this! O_O That is a different "Mary Cary.") Black Mountain Pond which was making some interesting sounds with the sun hitting the ice. It was gorgeous. Black Mtn. Pond Trail gets very steep after the pond, with multiple steep icy scrambles. We finally put on spikes for this section and wore them most but not all of the time from here on until partway down Bennett St. Trail. We had to help the pooch in only one spot, lifting him up onto a ledge.
Rest of the hike went smoothly, up to Sandwich Dome, down Bennett to Flat Mtn. Pond Trail to Gleason and out. Really satisfying hike and we didn't see another soul all day. |
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 | Name: |
Snowflea & friends |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-01-03 |
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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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