| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Glen Boulder, Slide Peak, Boott Spur, Mt. Washington, Ball Crag, Nelson Crag, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Direttissima, Glen Boulder Trail, Boott Spur Trail, Davis Path, Crawford Path, Nelson Crag Trail, Old Jackson Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 19, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center around 5:45am, and the lot was already about 75% full. |
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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: |
Easy water crossings over a few small brooks along Glen Boulder & Old Jackson Road, rock hoppable. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails in excellent condition, except for the lower third of Nelson Crag trail that was encroached by spruce once in a while, had some minor washouts, and water bars in need of cleaning. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Black flies, minor annoyance. Slow-moving deer flies I was able to swat. Blowflies and bees at ground level on a good bit of Glen Boulder trail. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A great loop over Mt. Washington, and a way to avoid most of the crowds on a busy Saturday featuring decent weather and low winds on the summits. The summit of Washington itself was crowded with the the usual mix of tourists and hikers, plus it was "Seek the Peak" weekend, the annual hiking fundraiser for the Mt. Washington Observatory. But I didn't see a soul on Direttissma or Glen Boulder trails. It only on Davis Path near Crawford when I started sharing trail with others. On the descent, I was alone almost the whole time. I crossed a few folks coming up from Huntington Ravine trail, and passed a couple from New Jersey on the way down. A speedy hiker passed me near the upper section of the auto road, but not before we commiserated about Nelson Crag's interesting but difficult steepness & bouldering in the second mile or so. After that, I was alone again all the way back to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center.
As far as difficulty, Direttissima was a simple mile, with some minor ups/downs. Glen Boulder was a pure delight to ascend, with a little bit of boulder scrambling. Davis Path and Crawford Path are well maintained with sure footing. Nelson Crag is really just a trail over boulders marked by cairns, and is a rough footpath in general. I made good progress for a while, but once the descent steepened, I struggled for footing, each step an interesting decision. Nelson Crag once back into the woods was tough - steep, rough, and lots of butt-sliding most of the way back to Old Jackson Road. OJR is a very wide footpath as its name implies, well-graded and maintained as a part of the AT, but otherwise unremarkable.
All in all, a fabulous loop, and one I hope to do again someday. And lots of redlining to add to the spreadsheet! |
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 | Name: |
Ethan Banks |
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 | E-Mail: |
020655@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-07-20 |
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 | Link: |
 https://nh48.wordpress.com |
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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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