| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bald Knob, Turtleback Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Shannon Brook Trail, Bald Knob Cutoff, Bald Knob Trail, Turtleback Mountain Trail, Turtleback Summit Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, August 16, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Shannon Brook trail off Rt171, just West of Castle-In-The-Clouds main entrance. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nada. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Two blowdowns. One duck-under on Turtleback trail, and one ankle height one on Bald knob Cutoff.
Otherwise, trails are generally in great condition. Thank you trail maintainers. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
One black lab: both doggie and owners were friendly. :-) |
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 | Bugs: |
Maybe a couple mosquitoes and 1 black fly. No deerflies or their bigger equestrian cousins. Yay! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nope. |
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|
 | Comments: |
Very overcast and foggy day. Probably also had bad air quality from Canadian Wild Fires. Sadly today, we only had murky views on the way down of Lake Winnie from the first ledge off Bald Knob Cutoff. And then, of course, we experienced sun in the parking lot! :-)
Viewed the piles of broken and stacked volcanic columns off Bald Knob Cutoff trail. Seemed to be small pieces of broken basalt beneath our toes, but column mineral composition were not clear to me. Rock's white/grey didn't appear to be Basalt; Rhyolite or Granite, maybe? But could be fooled - not a geologist nor do I play one on streaming channel. ;-) AFAIK, not permitted to swing rock hammers within this preserve for a better view. Summit of Turtleback had the classic hexagonal patterns of cooled volcanic white/grey columns also.
Great hike. I can't wait to see the other Ossipee Range peaks I haven't climbed, aside from Mt Roberts (which I've seen at least 2x). Although, I would prefer a bit more of that big, glowing fusion ball 92 million miles away to dry slippery rocks underfoot and brighten the views and skies.
Alternative, unofficial trail to Bald Knob lies just West of Shannon Brook Trailhead on RT171. Marked by Moultonborough town sign. Blue trail markers on trees to summit. Limited parking off road. Stay on trail, as it abuts private property. A few days back I had unintentionally went up this trail part way before realizing I wasn't on a gated farmers or forest road that goes to Hunter Brook - that was a bit to the West on RT171. I doubled back after realizing my error, but found that parking ops were limited and that I had ran out of my allotted time that afternoon. Was time to drive home. |
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 | Name: |
Mike D and friends |
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 | E-Mail: |
fourseasonhiker.at.gmail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-08-17 |
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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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