| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
The Bulkhead, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Dave's Trail, Johnson Road, Bulkhead Trail, Balanced Rock Trail, Ragged Mountain Trail, East Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 14, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Proctor Academy parking lot back where the trails begin. Plenty of room. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rock hopable. I think the most significant was on Bulkhead Trail not too long after the cabin where the rocks we stepped on may have been slightly submerged. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple of small blowdowns you can either crawl under or go around about 15min west of The Bulkhead. A couple more small blowdowns (and obscure trail) just beyond Balanced Rock. An old blowdown that you can crawl over at the start of East Ridge Trail/the spur to Old Top. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Some ledge/slightly sketchy sections along the ledge on Bulkhead Trail just east of Balanced Rock made more treacherous due to snow but probably fine for dogs, especially in summer. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
See notes below regarding the confusing mess of trail names. I don't think the main road to the cabin was marked really. Some orange flagging around Mud Pond. The trail north of the cabin was marked with cool wooden markers and maybe occasional orange flagging I think. Bulkhead Trail between The Bulkhead and Balanced Rock was blazed in faded yellow. Ragged Mtn Trail was marked with the SRKG markers. Spur to Old Top/East Ridge Trail is marked in one section with metal squares but is largely unmarked and can be difficult to follow with snow on the ground.
The Bulkhead and Mud Pond (Dave's Trail, Johnson Rd, Bulkhead Trail), Bulkhead Trail (Tuckerman's Trail?), Balanced Rock Trail, Ragged Mtn Trail, East Ridge Trail
The CCC's first longer snowshoe! We followed the route the guidebook describes to get to Mud Pond and The Bulkhead described on pgs 172 & 173, then hiked west on Bulkhead Trail, then continued west on the Balanced Rock Spur, then north on Ragged Mtn Trail to East Ridge Trail which we did an OAB on to Old Top, then continued back down Ragged Mtn Trail to the car. A comment on trail name's: the guidebook and the one's at the trail kiosk do not align. According to the kiosk's names, we followed Dave's Trail and Johnson Rd to the cabin, then Bulkhead Trail to The Bulkhead, Tuckerman's Trail to Balanced Rock, unlabeled trails to Old Top, then Balanced Rock Trail, Wilson's Wonder Trail, Greenway Trail, and Dave's Trail back to the car. Let me know if you'd like me to send you a photo of the trail kiosk. The map is hard to find online. Also note that there appears to now be a trail around Mud Pond. Lastly, since trail name's don't line up, we felt it was a bit ambiguous as to whether we were meant to follow what's called Mud Pond Trail or Johnson's Rd from Mud Pond. Upon closer inspection afterward, it became clear that it couldn't be the former but we were also unsure the latter was incorrect as it described the cabin as being on the right whereas it's actually on the left. Also, note that Mud Pond is not signed and is just marked with surveyor's tape where it ends on the road (I went exploring a short distance west on the road shortly after the cabin as I wasn't sure if we'd just ascended the wrong way and should've come up Mud Pond Trail. The road is called Meadowlark Ext on their maps. A short distance east of where Mud Pond Trail meets Meadowlark Ext, a marked but obscure looking path turns left off the road to join a Bulkhead Trail a short distance up. This seems to just be a small shortcut from Mud Pond Trail.
We wore snowshoes the entire time though snow depth wasn't always so great. There were some open areas down low on the roads with mud and water we avoided along with the occasional wet open area up higher on the trails. Other than all the confusion regarding trails, the route itself was not hard to follow to the cabin. Some PUDS but mostly gradual along roads. Some stepper sections from there The Bulkhead (after you ross the road) but not too bad. At times, there were snowshoe tracks ahead of us. Snow was usually supportive but got deeper and just slightly powdery as we got higher. Views from The Bulkhead were great. Beautiful day! From there to Balanced Rock was interesting. The trail was blazed and not all that infrequently but somewhat inconsistently and the trail was obscure, especially with the snow. Real nice woods to start and the trail was pleasant, but unpleasant sidehilling later in a difficult to follow section, then hard to follow and slightly sketchy sections along the ledge later as you neared Balanced Rock. Hard to tell which way the trail went along the ledge and where the trail left the ledge to enter the woods.
We hiked the spur to Old Top as when I did a Ragged Mtn Traverse with a friend last winter we hadn't read the guidebook carefully and didn't know it was a spur. We hiked the trail partway but I wasn't sure if we made it to where the guidebook stopped describing. Sure enough, upon revisiting, we definitely did :P Definitely a spot worth revisiting though! We lost the trail at times to Old Top and bushwhacked a bit. The trip down was quick and uneventful. Nice to run into a group or two of people. Gaia had us at 7.5mi, about 1800ft of gain, 6hr15min. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney and the CCC |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-01-21 |
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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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