| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Shoal Pond, Thoreau Falls, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Wilderness Trail, Shoal Pond Trail, Ethan Pond Trail, Thoreau Falls Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 23, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room at Hancock Overlook. Fee area. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All were rock hops or bridged. I was able to rock hop the North Fork of the Pemi four times while searching for the 1956 plane crash memorial plaque and New Camp 24 and keep my feet dry. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails were in good shape by Wilderness standards. There was one large tree top blocking the trail about two miles below Thoreau Falls. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Plenty of water along this route. Furtunately temperatures stayed low most of the day but I think Marlie was less than impressed to spend three hours walking in the rain. She is also not fond of thunder. |
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 | Bugs: |
If I had only one memory of Shoal Pond Tr it would be the constant buzzing of deer flies. Then some annoying gnats joined the mix along Thoreau Falls Tr. Once the rain started the bugs disappeared. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Lots of neat logging railroad items along this route. |
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 | Comments: |
I've had my eye on this route for a while to pick up 17+ miles of redlines. Most of the footing was very good and soft compared to the standard routes to the 4K summits. I found the memorial plaque and was back on the east side of the North Fork in less than 10 minutes. Unfortunately I was unable to find New Camp 24. At first I thought that I had crossed too low (I crossed just after spotting two rails in the river bed) and could not find the RR grade on the west side of the river then I thought maybe I had crossed to high as I could see what appeared to be the old RR grade (part of Thoreau Falls Tr) on the east side end at the rivers edge. Here I would have had to head upstream a short distance just to reach the water and search for a place to cross. I should have continued south from the plaque on the RR grade but didn't want to have to backtrack north to finish redlining the 3/4 mi of Thoreau Falls Tr that I would miss. At this point the deer flies were driving me nuts, I needed to refill my water, and I could hear thunder rolling in so I decided to leave the neighborhood. Next time... Once we reached the Thoreau Falls Tr bridge over the East Branch the rain began (heavy) and the thunder increased. A few flashes of lightning seemed awfully close and I began to question crossing over the height of land on Cedar Brook Tr. Fortunately, the clouds settled just enough as we passed over the h-o-l before errupting again and the rain continued all the way back to the parking lot.
30 mi 3600' elev+ 11 hr 25 min |
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 | Name: |
IQuest |
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 | E-Mail: |
iandanner@hotmail com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-07-24 |
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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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