Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mowglis Mountain, Cilley's Cave, Firescrew, Grotto Cave, Mt. Cardigan, Rimrock, Orange Mountain, NH |
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| Trails: |
Back 80 Trail, Elwell Trail, herd path, Hanging Rock spur trail, Mowglis Trail, Grotto Cave spur trail, Clark Trail, South Ridge Trail, Skyland Trail, Vistamount Trail, Woodland Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Thursday, July 24, 2014 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Initially tried to ascend from Orange Road (Class 6 road) near Sculptured Rocks in Groton, as this is an access point to the northern end of the Mowglis Trail. Unfortunately, I ran into several roadblocks (logging, businesses, etc) -- even so, would not advise using this route, given the how rough the road is (high-clearance vehicles only, especially after the first half mile or so). Eventually drove around to Alexandria to the AMC Lodge to begin. |
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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: |
all rock-hoppable |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Great to finally meet Craig, the focal person for Cardigan area trail maintenance! He helped me find some of my objectives - THANKS!!! Anyway, in terms of maintenance, here are my mental notes. Back 80 Trail - excellent, beautiful forest, good trail around the beaver ponds; Elwell Trail to Mowglis Mtn - yikes... getting very grown in, especially across the logging cuts, but, flagging is very evident in the overgrown areas except for one logging cut where I lost my way; Mowglis Tr - beautiful trail, tho, I had to really hunt for Hanging Rock sign :) Skyland/Vistamont/Clark/Woodland - really beautiful forest - some work in progress on Woodland. Crag Shelter has tyvek/repair underway. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
didn't see many |
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| Bugs: |
not bad because it was windy!! YAY!!! |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
Goal was to finally find Cilley's Cave... third time *was* the charm - yippee!!!! Very fun large loop. Spur to Cilley's Cave off Mowglis Trail did have a little cairn and rope was pretty solid-feeling down to the cave. I had to really hunt around for the spur to Grotto Cave - I went up on the Firescrew slabs to see the cairns off in the distance; followed cairns over the edge-- kind of slippery in spots and a long descent but very neat area to explore.
Quite the crowds on the summit cone of Cardigan today - kept thinking there must be a rollercoaster up there based on all the screaming you can hear from as far as Rimrock!!! It was good to know people were having a good time... at least I hope that's why they were screaming :) ?
Just beautiful forests - I don't think I had been on some of these trails before - they are really awesome!!! Beautiful streams as well - what a gem!!!! |
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| Name: |
Becca Munroe |
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| E-Mail: |
beccahiker@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-07-24 |
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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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