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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Speckled Mountain, ME
Trails
Trails: Evergreen Link, Cold Brook Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, May 2, 2020
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: I parked at the small gravel lot on a side road off Mountain Road just downhill of the Evergreen Valley Inn. No signs that this is a hiking parking area. The White Mountain Guide recommended the lot. It appears that parking was permitted at the Evergreen Valley Inn. Take West Stoneham Road off route 5 and follow the signs to Evergreen Valley Inn 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Only minor brook crossings were easy. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Trails in good condition. Plenty of blazes and cairns. The route to the trail from Mountain Road is not signed. Must use the trail description in the White Mountain Guide to get to the Evergreen Link trail proper. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Fine for dogs 
Bugs
Bugs: flying insects were prevalent at the end of the day but none were biting 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: I had never hiked this route to Speckled Mountain. The start of the trail is unsigned and not obvious. From Evergreen Inn hike up the paved Mountain Road and turn right on to a gravel road where there are two string/wire lines across road which can be stepped over. Higher up the road there is a residence with many private property signs. Continue straight on the road. Eventually you arrive at a sign to turn right. Thereafter there are yellow blazes and/or cairns to easily guide you up the trail.
At low elevations the surface is mainly dry leaves with a few wet spots. A bit higher up there is a long stretch of running melt water on the trail. Waterproof boots and gaiters are good in this section. Then there is the transition zone where there is intermittent soft snow, standing water, and dry rock ledge. I opted to bare boot this section. The final segment to the summit was almost continuous snow cover that was prone for postholing. There were many holes 2 to 3 feet deep. I used the snowshoes in this zone so the going was easy. The summit was bare rock.
There were more people than I expected on the Cold Brook approach to Speckled Mountain. I met seven people on the route and four others at the summit that came from Blueberry Ridge or Bickford Brook. The couple that came up Bickford Brook said it was highly susceptible to postholing.
There were great views of Kezar Lake from the ledges on the Cold Brook Trail and good views of the area peaks from the Speckled Mountain summit. It did not look like any recent activity on the Red Rock Trail as best as I could tell.  
Name
Name: WAUMBEK 
E-Mail
E-Mail: WAUMBEK at Roadrunner dot com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2020-05-02 
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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