| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Russell Mountain - West Peak, Russell Mountain - East Peak, Russell Pond Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bushwhack, logging roads |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Tripoli Road is gated, parked roadside, well off the road before the gate on the northern side of Tripoli Road |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
In the woods, all crossings were hoppable on steppingstones of some sort. The crossing of Russell Pond Brook is bridged thanks to the maintained trail corridor |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Tons of downed trees on that Russell Pond loop, if that's a legit trail or just a rough thing for campers to tramp, there are tons of downed trees along that "trail", not sure if I ever noticed it blazed until reaching the ski/snomo section at the south end. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Not sure if I would when the campground is open, more importantly, I would not by any of the routes I chose - very bouldery and slick, might be better to look at old reports and select one of those easier out and back routes. |
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 | Bugs: |
Nope |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing |
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 | Comments: |
bushwhack, russell pond loop trail?, old logging roads, mostly bushwhacking with no intention of being on trail
Snow conditions are beyond abysmal - 8-10" in the col between East-West peaks which snowshoes did nothing to aid, snow is too wet, too sloppy, too springtime. Aside from that section most terrain was either soggy, sopping wet, not too bad, trace snow, or slushie-consistency snow.
From the gated Tripoli Road, took to the woods and immediately found an old, brushy logging corridor which I followed as it meandered about, climbing steeply - I lost it eventually but opted to cut eastward at the south-facing ridge which stems from Russell Pond Peak - some maps denote this southern bump as Russell Crag. Found lots of frost weathered rock atop the ridge crest, but over all decent travel thanks to wall-to-wall hardwood. More mixed-coniferous nearing the summit, but overall Russell Pond Peak was a blast. All trees were retaining water, which they promptly relinquished as I passed.
Open woods on shattered, jumpbled boulders which were leaf covered down to the col and crossing of Russell Pond Road, which was a sheet of ice. The woods across the road looked inviting so I took the opportunity. The summit of East Peak was a deluge of (recent?) blowdown - the canister was either lucky to be found in one of the last remaining, standing fir trees, or relocated to that one standing tree trunk! almost walked right past, assuming it was lost to a pile of downed timber, but then there it was - looking as sharp, and orange as ever.
I did not sign into any registers due to wet hands. The conifer cap came and went quickly on the East Peak, before long at all I was back into hardwoods, approaching the East-West col. Here, I found the deepest, most unsupportive snowpack, most of which had standing water beneath - three cheers for waterproof mountaineering boots - almost wore trail runners, yuck. Not the season for those yet, IMO.
Picked a route slightly N/NE up the main peak of Russell Mtn. Many exposed rocks and ledges adorn the S/SE face, I avoided completely. Following moose tracks, I found the old stone foundation which lay about 200' from the true high point. Found more blowdown and many spots which could pass as a possible high point until standing at that spot and recognizing another.. at least 4 spots were visited around the summit area in this fashion. Reaching a dominating drop off SW, I retraced a few rods of steps to a place I could descend appropriately, albeit steeply - directly down the S face of Russell Mtn to the pond. Many exposed ledges here, as well as many glacially plucked boulders to contend with, all had voids of nothingness surrounding. Topped with leaves and moss, that terrain was certainly less than supportive!
Following the pond W, then SW to close out the loop, I climbed a western shoulder of Russell Pond Peak one final time before side-hilling my way back southward. Dropping off this final ridge was via a very soggy hillside - this hillside wanted to slip a bit due to moisture levels. With extreme care as to not knock boulders loose from the mountainside, I navigated back to that old logging road I spotted and ascended upon.
Crummy conditions, but great climbing! Now we wait for rain and warmth to decimate the rest of this snowpack - watch for rising water levels!
I'll leave a link below to a quick write-up on these three lesser-known peaks - enjoy! |
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 | Name: |
Erik Hamilton |
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 | E-Mail: |
ehamilton9481@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-03-07 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.atalkinthewoods.com/trail-reports/russell-pond-peaks |
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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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