| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Clark Trail, Woodland Trail, Skyland Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, October 12, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked at a small pull-out on Shem Valley Road, a short walk from the Clark Trail. There is room there for two cars. (Do NOT park on the open space directly opposite the trailhead -- it's clearly posted with "no parking" signs.) |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing of note. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Blazes on Woodland Trail are faded, and in many cases completely gone. Blazes on the short bit of nearby Skyland Trail we walked were faded, as well. (See notes, below.) |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
None. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A friend of ours mentioned that the blazing on the upper Woodland Trail (near the intersection with the Skyland Trail) was fading a bit, and this reminded us to check out the trail early Saturday morning and prep it in advance of winter -- it's a great snowshoeing trail, and with the Vistamont and Skyland Trails, makes a nice, quiet loop from the AMC lodge.
At the trail start off of Shem Valley Road, we were pleasantly surprised at the excellent condition of the old road -- and the small wooden footbridge over Clark Brook -- all the way to where the Clark Trail turns north, back to AMC property. Past the old Clark farm foundations, the road was in good shape, and even the couple of boggy sections near the old beaver ponds weren't as bad as they have been. At the ponds (most of which are drying up and becoming a wetland meadow), where the trail narrows, we began to brush and clear the trail all the way to its connection with the Skyland Trail.
The route is in good shape now, notwithstanding an occasional hobblebush punji. Where the blazes are faded/difficult to see, we've used orange flagging to mark the trail until we can get out and re-blaze. At one 100-foot (?) constantly wet and muddy section about a half mile east of the Skyland Trail intersection, we've cut a rough bypass, flagged in yellow, a couple of feet to the northwest of the main trail. (We should have done this 10 years ago; you can lose a boot in that deep mud.)
Beautiful day -- much fall color out there now. No one on the trails where we were; everyone else was headed to the lodge.
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 | Name: |
Pancks and Tesco Heaney |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-10-13 |
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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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