| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Straightback Mountain, East Quarry Mountain, Straightback Mountain , NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Major Trail, Brook Trail, North Straightback Link, Dave Roberts Quarry Trail, Belknap Range Trail, Straightback Mountain Trail, Quarry Spur, Ledge Detour |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 10, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Because they are doing work on the trails with heavy machinery, they are using the parking area and you have to park roadside. Tons of room to get off the road though. At 10:45am I parked less than a 1/4mi away from the trail. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easily rock hopable |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Given the crowds on Major, I'd keep dogs leashed. While more than one of these trails is steep, the only one that really requires scrambling is Mt Major which some hiking dogs would be fine with, others perhaps not. |
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 | Bugs: |
I don't think they were too bad. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Mt Major Trail is blazed in blue, Brook Trail in yellow, North Straightback Link in green, Dave Roberts Quarry Trail in white, Belknap Range Trail and Straightback Mtn Trail I do not recall.
This hike on this rather muggy day finished my Lakes Region tab for SNH redlining. My route: Mt Major Trail (detour though due to the construction but clearly signed) --> Brook Trail to Belknap Range Trail an back to --> North Straigthback Link --> OAB on Dave Roberts Quarry Trail to East Quarry --> Dave Roberts Quarry Trail (south) --> BRT --> OAB on Straightback Mtn Trail to "especially fine open area" in 0.2mi --> BRT (north) --> OAB on Quarry Spur --> BRT and Brook Trail to Mt Major --> Mt Major Trail down with an OAB on the Ledge Detour.
Going up Brook Trail between North Straightback Link and BRT, North Straightback Link, the up and down on Quarry Spur, and climbing North Straightback from Dave Roberts Quarry Trail were all a bit steep and painful in the heat but beyond that, the hike was pretty nice. I didn't find the caves just east of East Quarry particularly worthwhile but I did find a nice boulder to have lunch on here with a great view. The open area that you need to hike 0.2mi to get to along Straightback Mtn Trail for redlining purposes was obvious. The trails weren't as busy as I thought they'd be including Mt Major which I figured would be a zoo. The Ledge Detour was not signed or particularly clear in terms of where it begins so having it shown on Gaia (though unlabeled) was nice. It was good to see some water again on the trails but things were not too wet or muddy by any means.
It was very cool to be back on the summit of Mt Major after 12 years. Pretty sure the last time I was there was when I took a girl there my junior year of high school, haha. Many memories of hiking the Mt Major/Boulder Loop Trail loop with a summer camp every summer as a child as well. Gaia had me at about 8.8mi, 2100ft of gain, 4hr18min. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-08-12 |
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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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