| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Crotched Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Link Trail, Quarry Loop Trail, Summit East Trail, Upper Link, herd path, Shannon's Trail, Bennington Trail, Summit West Trail, Lower Link |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 11, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Small-mid sized dirt lot with room for a half dozen to a dozen cars maybe at the jct of Farrington Rd and Rt 136. I was the only one there at 7:15am though another car showed up as I was getting started at 7:30am. I was the only car there when I returned at 2:30pm. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
With the recent warm weather there has been some snow melt and water levels are a bit high. As such, I think I had to step on a submerged rock or two to get across the brook on Lower Link but no problem with waterproof boots. Water levels would have to be very high to make this one dangerous. All other crossings (on Bennington Trail and another a short distance in on Summit East Trail) were pretty easy. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Link and Summit Trail are marked with yellow diamonds, Upper Link with blue diamonds, Shannon Trail with yellow diamonds, Bennington Trail with blue blaze (NOT orange as the guidebook says), and Lower Link with blue diamonds. The herd path as described in the guidebook was not blazed but the extension of Bennington Trail described below (is this the old abandoned section?) was also blazed in blue. As far as I recall, the trails were marked regularly enough and were pretty easy to follow. About 10min into Summit Trail (NOT including Link Trail) there's a small tree that creaked and is leaning above the trail. Other small debris shortly thereafter. Along the ridge (15min after the first viewpoint maybe) there is a mid-sized blowdown with a path around it. Also possible to crawl under. A coupe stepovers and a duck under on Upper Link maybe 10min from the summit. This were mid-large sized. An easy old stepover and a widow maker just a few mins down Bennington Trail. A small duck under 15min from the bottom. A limb is down above the Summit West Trail shortly below its jct with Lower Link. About 10min later there's a small-mid sized widow maker above the trail. All signage was intact as far as I recall. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Good trails for dogs. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
First hike of the day. My route: Link Trail (signed only as Quarry Loop at its base) --> Summit Trail --> Summit East Trail --> Upper Link --> herd path(s??) to summit --> Shannon's Trail --> OAB on Bennington Trail --> possible previously abandoned section of Bennington Trail to summit --> herd path back down to view --> Upper Link --> Summit West Trail --> OAB on Lower Link --> Summit West Trail --> Summit Trail back to car. This cleaned up all the trails on Crotched Mtn for me as I did an OAB on Shannon's Trail 2 years ago for the NH500. Given that there was (not entirely consistent) snow at the parking lot that was a few inches at times and I was gaining about 1000ft between there and the summit, I thought it prudent I bring snowshoes. It was not. A total waste of weight. There were very small stretches were they could have been usable but overall the snow was neither consistent enough or deep enough for them to be usable let alone practical. Other than in the immediate vicinity of the summit where there was upwards of a foot of snow in some places, the snow was always less than 6in deep, usually much less. Not sure how much snow they got Tuesday though and tonight could change things as well. There were also open spots with water and mud. Spikes would have been very helpful in many places and I almost stopped to put them on but then the snow/ice would become inconsistent. Either be okay with falling some or bring rock-beaters.
A very short ways into Bennington Trail (if descending) you come to a 4-way jct (shown as 3-way on Gaia). I'm not sure the old path or road to the left was anything but I think there was something that way. To the right is not marked the same as Bennington Trail but is not signed. It climbs to the true summit and coincides with the "Orange Dot" trail shown in Gaia thus intersects with the "Ski Area Northern View Trail" also shown on Gaia. This jct was also obvious. I did not note the Connector Trail shown on Gaia. I suspect that this continuation of Bennington Trail to the summit is the abandoned trail but I do not know that. My mileage is a bit off because I combed the 1/4mi or so back an forth looking for the 50yd spur on let described in the guidebook on Summit East Trail but didn't find anything that matched that description. If anyone knows, let me know please! In any case, Gaia had me at 11.5mi, about 3000ft of gain, 6hr45min. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-02-15 |
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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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