| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Black Mountain (Benton), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Black Mountain Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, May 21, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The dirt road at the end of Howe Hill Road is now passable to the traditional parking lot (take the dirt road extension beyond the last house, first turnaround thereafter), but watch out for mud on the far side of it. Might be able to get one or two sections further, but lots of ruts/mud. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rock hops |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
About half a dozen blowdowns, a few of which are large. Trail in need of blazing following the logging project. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Black flies were vexing down low, but not too bad on the summit. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The first third of this trail is unsightly at the moment from logging equipment. The actual clearing did not have much visual impact on the trail (large clearcut above it, which might actually be interesting to explore). However, the trail itself was impacted, as it's a rutty, (dried at the moment) muddy walk. Trail could be easily lost at the logging landing, as it looks like one would go straight onto a skid road. The trail is actually to the left, behind a pile of debris. No blazes or markers to signal hikers, and the clearing leaves little visual memory from previous trips.
Beyond that, apart from ATV and dirt bike traffic, the trail is unaffected. Erosion continues to get worse since the dedicated volunteer trail maintainers gave up the trail due to the aforementioned wheeled traffic. Quite a few blowdowns.
Beautiful afternoon/evening weather. Lots of wildflowers in bloom. Tremendous views. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-05-21 |
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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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