| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Haystack Notch, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Haystack Notch Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, June 1, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Room for a car or two at a Rt. 113 pulloff just N of the trailhead; with a larger pulloff a short ways south. On the east side it appears some recent road work had been done, but I didn't see any obvious parking other than the large clearing. |
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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 steps for me, but on a couple I went upstream a short distance to avoid having to pole vault or getting wet boots. Poles helpful. Pepper rock jumped or waded. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail nicely signed at each end. I had no significant problems following the trail via its lightly used footbed, occasional mostly faded paint blazes and a key couple of arrows on the east side down low, but there are many places where I wouldn't want to get far off it; it may not be obvious even crossing it. There are some blowdowns that are walkarounds, notably a few at or just below the high point on the west side, and a few on the east. I left most of it in place but down low on the east side I cleaned one up because it hid the trail and a crossing trail looked like it had much more use, with only an arrow to remind one the lesser obvious trail is Haystack Notch. There's some mud spots too but a lot of it is very nice footbed, quite unlike a typical 4K trail. Roost had no problems; Wheeler Brook had a couple major blowdowns that will need an axe. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Despite the day's heat & humidity, the woods shade and air conditioning combined with lots and lots of wonderful sip n dip spots, made it a pretty comfy day for Pepper. There was shade and water on the Roost, and on the Wheeler Brook as well; plus at the end of the latter he got to run off a moose. The moose saw Pepper before the reverse, and took off in a gallop. I was amazed at how fast it ran. Pepper chased just long enough to make sure he was gone, gave him a "and stay out" bark and came back very pleased with himself. |
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 | Bugs: |
I pulled 15-20 dog ticks off me today, but only a couple while hiking, most on the drive home, and a few buried in my socks under the summer gaiters when I got home. I checked Pepper and found none. I nailed a couple deer flies, and a fair number of black flies and skeeters, but they were a minor nuisance. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We did the Roost first so that a road walk back to the car would be done before the traffic started. Other than the limited view from the Roost viewpoint, this was a viewless day. We saw no one again, had a lightly used footpath and lots of water to cool off in. I spaced out and left the AMC Guide at home, but the map, an occasional trail mark and the footbed was enough on all the trails. We only did Wheeler Brook from the west to the height of land, got hit with a few raindrops at the end, and given the heat & humidity we skipped doing the rest of it from Rt. 2 up to the HOL. Pepper knows why these trails are in the Guide and need redlining; they lead to great sip n dips. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-06-01 |
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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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