| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Webster Slide Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Wachipauka Pond Trail, Webster Slide spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 13, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at the trailhead on Route 25.
We took Long Pond Road from Benton to Glencliff. All the gates are open and the road is in great shape, very smooth. However, drivers of low-clearance autos will want to pay attention to a few large rocks embedded in the road. NOTE: The eastern trailhead for the Blueberry Mountain Trail off of Long Pond Road is presently closed due to logging activity. |
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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: |
Several small brooks easily crossed with a step or two. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few stepovers, one walk-around, and one duck-under on the Wachipauka Pond Trail. On the spur, three or four stepovers and one walk-around near the summit of the mountain. A bow saw could take care of all the blowdowns on the spur. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Great dog hike -- there's plenty of water right now and, even better from Polly's and Josie's point of view, tons of mud. Short-legged dogs may have a bit of trouble on the steepest scramble on the spur up Webster Slide Mountain. |
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 | Bugs: |
Tons of black flies. We were near the threshold of intolerability for most of the hike. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Found an empty big black trash bag near the junction of Wachipauka Pond Trail and the spur to Webster Slide Mountain, which we carried out. |
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 | Comments: |
A fine spring hike, though the warm, humid conditions brought out the black flies in force. The trail is generally in excellent condition, with a few mud pits here and there.
Trillium (both), trout lily, hobblebush, and woodland strawberry all in bloom along the trail. The broadleaf forest was also filled with a beautiful cacophony of bird songs. About a quarter-mile in we flushed a young female moose, which fortunately I saw before Polly and Josie noticed.
Since the last time I was on top of Webster Slide, three years ago, someone has taken the summit sign that had been attached to a dead snag. Last time, however, there was some trash at the campsite at the overlook; not so this time.
This was a significant hike for Josie -- her first off-leash. She did pretty well, and I'm encouraged to try longer hikes now with her off-leash. She was 0 for 20 chasing chipmunks and 0 for 1 chasing a spruce grouse, but was 1 for 1 finding and rolling in fresh bear poop. Polly went 0 for 2 on frogs. |
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 | Name: |
The Feathered Hat |
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 | E-Mail: |
stevebjerklie at yahoo dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-05-13 |
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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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