| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Galehead Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Gale River Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail, Frost Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, June 23, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
About 6 cars at Gale River Trailhead at 9am. Campsites were all occupied on Gale River Loop. Saw a bunch of overnighters coming down on the way up. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rock Hopable. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail was clean as a whistle. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No dogs today. |
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 | Bugs: |
Mostly moths and butterflies. No bites as far as I know. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I put out a call for hiking companions last night, throwing in the idea of a visit to Hawthorne Falls to sweeten the deal, and the wonderful Jonathan and Laura Soule answered the call, in spite of TORNADOS in the forecast. Thankfully, the weather held out and we even got some sunshine.
I'm writing this report to document the bushwhacks. After summiting we decided to take a bearing for the Gale River intersection and go strait off the summit. We hit some lovely parts of the woods on the way down, but it was "postholy" and slippery in parts. We ended up just slightly east of the intersection, surprising a solo hiker as we popped out of the woods.
On the descent down Gale River Trail, at the view around 2500' (my watch said 2700') next to the river, we started our whack, contouring around the ridge to the west. I used my Coros watch to keep track and keep us around 2800' (really 2600'). In spite of caltopo reporting the correct elevation, I trusted the watch, which was a mistake. This dropped us out to the river too far below the falls and required a whack up. There are some cliffs which make it hard to decide on a route. We soon reached the falls at 2840', as expected.
The route itself to the falls was a mixed bag. There weren't a ton of thick woods, but we had to negotiate a few drainages and many "postholes". Overall it took about 1 hour 35 minutes to get to the falls. From there we did the traditional whack down the river, staying on the east side or in the river itself, until we bumped into Gale River Trail.
The sky opened up when I got to Lincoln. No Tornados to speak of. Excellent lightening show on rt 101.
Overall a great day in the woods with Jonathan and Laura. Thanks for joining me. Not sure I would have got out of bed if I didn't have a date. |
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 | Name: |
Boogie Bob |
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 | E-Mail: |
rcorsaro@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-06-23 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.strava.com/activities/11723376271 |
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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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