Mt. Passaconaway, Mt. Whiteface, East Sleeper, West Sleeper, South Tripyramid, Middle Tripyramid, North Tripyramid - Oliverian Brook Trail, Passaconaway Cutoff, Square Ledge Trail, Walden Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail, Rollins Trail, Kate Sleeper Trail, East Sleeper Spur, herd path, Mt. Tripyramid Trail, Pine Bend Brook Trail - 8-18-2012

Hiking Trail Conditions Report
	Peaks	Mt. Passaconaway, Mt. Whiteface, East Sleeper, West Sleeper, South Tripyramid, Middle Tripyramid, North Tripyramid, NH

	Trails:	Oliverian Brook Trail, Passaconaway Cutoff, Square Ledge Trail, Walden Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail, Rollins Trail, Kate Sleeper Trail, East Sleeper Spur, herd path, Mt. Tripyramid Trail, Pine Bend Brook Trail

	Date of Hike:	Saturday, August 18, 2012

	Parking/Access Road Notes:	Parked alongside the road at Pine Bend Brook, no fee parking. Road-walked to Oliverian Brook, which is a fee area (though most amenities are down the road at Sabbaday Falls).

	Surface Conditions:	Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Standing/Running Water on Trail

	Recommended Equipment:

	Water Crossing Notes:	All easily rock-hopped, one or two spots required stepping on slightly-submerged rocks (dry rocks may have been possible nearby, I didn't look too hard).

	Trail Maintenance Notes:	One large, blocking blowdown early on Oliverian Brook, shortly after the hard left turn. Couple other easy step-overs further up and on Passaconaway Cutoff, not presenting any real trouble. Some mud by the beaver areas, in fact the beavers have the water level above trail level, if their dam goes it'll be a bit messy! Bog bridges early on Passaconaway Cutoff are rotted away, and leaving spikes/nails sticking up from the trail bed/mud. These are in Wilderness Area, read into that as you will. Pine Bend Brook Trail is in bad shape from a little above the Wilderness Boundary to near the ridge. A confusing spot or two near a "dry" brookbed (could hear some water under the boulders), I ended up on the wrong side of the bed briefly, looked like a trail relocation may have occurred. No blazing as it is in Wilderness. Extremely eroded in the stretch from the main ridge down to near the valley it dips into eventually. Some drainage bars and rock steps would really help minimize damage here, but it may be too late in a couple spots. The boulder field along the brook that comprises the trail was less than pleasant after 17-18 miles... Otherwise, trails were in great shape. Some damp rocks from overnight rain, but not too bad overall. Kate Sleeper was a treat of a trail, nice and soft and easy grades.

	Dog-Related Notes:	Didn't see any, but shouldn't be too bad overall, though a long haul for one day. Water was available here and there below the ridge on both ends. Water nearby Passaconaway Loop. Downe's Brook was steady flow, if not large. A couple of seeps before East Sleeper, but then nothing until well down Pine Bend Brook. South Slide may be tricky depending on the dog. Lots of slabs coming off N. Tripyramid to North, detours available for the worst ones.

	Bugs:	Some mosquitoes down low, but few of them and I moved through those areas pretty fast.

	Lost and Found:


	Comments:	Was going to do this as an overnight but decided to just push and make a long day of it. Did the road walk in the morning to get it out of the way. Easy first ~3 miles on Oliverian Brook and Passaconaway Cutoff, then some stiff climbing up to the summit. Rollins Trail nice and gentle climb to Whiteface. Dropped down to Kate Sleeper and over the Sleepers, using the marked spur trail to East Sleeper, and one of a couple herd paths through open woods to the West Sleeper summit which is only ~100 feet off-trail. Climbing the South Slide was fun, even this far into the day! Short but steep ups and downs over the Tripyramids, with some slabs on the N. side of S. Tripyramid, and lots of stuff on the North side of North Tripyramid. Pine Bend Brook started off fine, got real eroded, then real rocky with bad footing (the WMG doesn't do it justice), then real nice once passing the Wilderness Boundary (also pretty flat by that point). Beat the sunset out, took almost exactly 11 hours for the 20.5-mile loop, 10 hours on trails.

	Name:	madmattd

	E-Mail:

	Date Submitted:	2012-08-20

	Link:	https://mattshikes.blogspot.com/
		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.