| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Tom, ME |
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 | Trails: |
West Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 10, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
A dirt road on the right side of Menotomy Road, Fryeburg,about a half-mile from 302, leads to a small parking area beside a locked gate. Room for a few vehicles but I had the area to myself. The other trailhead is nearly two miles north on Menotomy Rd. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
This is a brand new Trail, recently opened by The Nature Conservancy and approaching the summit over their land from the south. It is nearly twice as long as the trail from the north described in the latest AMC Maine Hiking Guide. Since it is not yet well-trodden, the ample white blazes and pink flags were very helpful.
At about the half-way point, a 10-yard section is blocked off by tapes, because a huge fallen upper half of a dead tree is dangling precariously 25 feet above. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
None for a while yet (knock wood). |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I was puzzled by a pair of adjacent and very big granite slab cellar holes near the start of the Trail, one of them decorated with shards of broken crockery and rusted metal fragments. Too big for farmhouses, I'd guess. The Trail is very pleasant, following an old road for about 20 yards in the middle but otherwise all new, until an unblazed but much more well-trod trail comes in from the north, less than a quarter-mile from the summit. I assumed this was the trail described in the Guide and followed it for a bit on my descent, but turned back when it headed east, away from the Road. Looking now at the top map, I think it was in fact the trail in the Guide. |
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 | Name: |
Amicus |
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 | E-Mail: |
mcsamicus@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-04-11 |
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 | Link: |
 https://amicus.smugmug.com/Hiking/2016/Mt-Tom-and-Bald-Pate-Mtn-SW-ME/ |
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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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