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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Piper Mountain, Swett Mountain, NH
Trails
Trails: Piper Mountain Trail, Piper-Whiteface Link, Vista Trail, Swett Mountain Trail, Valley View Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Friday, October 2, 2015
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: I parked just outside the gate on Carriage Road in Gilford. The gate is closed at 6pm nightly. New kiosk and map here since my last visit. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Just one on the PMT, crossed on a footbridge. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Trails is mostly good shape. Evidence of the flooding rains on PMT. Noted new bright green blazing on PWL, much improved and easier to see than the old dark green blazes. VVT heading up the northern section of the loop is eroded in spots. The way is blazed, but calling this a "trail" is up for consideration. ;) It's more of a herd path. Northern junction with VVT and VT is not marked (sign is far away down the trail on a tree) and easy to miss. SMT is pretty quiet and lightly used, but easy to follow. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: They'd be fine on most of the route here, but dogs should avoid VVT. There are too many holes between boulders to fall into. 
Bugs
Bugs: Nope. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Found some adrenalin climbing down the talus field on VVT. 
 
Comments
Comments: A nice day to do some redlining and pick up some trails in the Piper/Swett area that I hadn't previously explored.

I finally hiked the infamous Valley View Trail, and wow, is this fun! I wasn't sure which direction would be best, so I ended up descending the talus slope which was "interesting". I would definitely recommend going up this. Care must be taken with footing on the talus slope. There are holes between the boulders, many of which are covered with leaves and litter right now.

Climbing back to the ridge, the northern part of the loop was steep, eroded, wet, muddy and mossy, making things slick, so coming down this way would have been sketchy too. There are a couple of tricky scrambles along this section as well, one of which might prove challenging for shorter folks. A very interesting route, reminiscent of King Ravine in some ways. Nice to know that something like this is in the Lakes Region!

I continued on over to Swett. Nothing spectacular there, but some nice open ledges at the very end of the trail, just past the high point.  
Name
Name: KenM 
E-Mail
E-Mail: kmacgray@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2015-10-04 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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