| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bald Mountain, Speckled Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Unnamed trails |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, July 3, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Room for maybe half a dozen cars to pull off Shagg Pond Road (south of Dixfield). Very tight squeeze to park roadside thereafter, as many of us did. Shagg Pond Road (via Concord Pond Road) could be tough for cars with low clearance. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Minor rock hops. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail can be hard to follow in places due to herd paths, confusing blazing, and lack of signage. One blowdown on the way to Bald and another on the way to Speckled. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Occasional deer flies near pond, but otherwise minimal, perhaps due to wind. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Pretty tame walk from Shagg Pond Road to Little Concord Pond. Generally dry with minor mud.
Trail up Bald Mountain was rugged in places, but generally dry. The loop around the Bald Ledges is very scenic. The actual highpoint of Bald is on the opposite side of the main trail (open woods bushwhack, but I don't think the peak's on any lists, so does it matter?).
A little confusion climbing up the bump between Bald and Speckled, as there is a tree town boundary swath that meets in the trail. Stick with the blue blazes, as the yellow blazed corridor is the swath.
Some rugged terrain on the ascent up Speckled, as well as a few damp ledges. Lots of views from the on-trail ledges and the ledges around the summit. Had the summit to ourselves. Blueberries are still green, but should be plentiful up there.
On the way back, we looped around Little Concord Pond, which was rugged due to a lack of good, established footbed (lots of herd paths, etc.). |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-07-03 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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