| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
The Castles, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Castle Trail, The Cornice, Randolph Path, Israel Ridge Path, Emerald Trail, Castle Ravine Trail, The Link |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, October 14, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Fairly large dirt lot/not a fee area/no facilities. 5 cars when I got there, including a Pathfinder full of "20 somethings" that actually drove 100ft down the trail and parked diagonally across it, completely blocking the trail(??). When I left at 4:45PM only Jeff's car was left. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Many small crossings fairly easy but lots of wet leaves made rocks extremely slippery. Used bushwhack crossing on Israel River at start of Castle Trail. The official crossing had about 4" of water over many of the rocks. Other crossings of note were the "double" river crossing at start of Israel Ridge Path, which had many loose rocks and lots of slick leaves, and the river crossing at the First Cascade at beginning of Link, which had a 6' moss covered rock with about 2" of running water over it that was the easiest route across. Water levels are low overall but rocks were extremely slippery today with the moss and leaves. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails were in decent shape. Ran into Jeff, the caretaker of the Castle Trail, on way up. Was doing cairn rebuilding today. There was one blowdown that we cleared. The section of the Link I between Castle Ravine and Israel Ridge had 6-7 blowdowns. There was an awkward duck under I was able to clear and another large stepover that had a small side path around. Otherwise fairly easy. Most drainage ditches were clogged with leaves but dry and working. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Parts of Castle Trail would be tough, but doable, for dogs. No water for long stretches on these trails too. Didn't see any dogs today. |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw some small clouds of "no-see-ums" on the Castles in the scrub areas but they left me alone. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
none |
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 | Comments: |
I'll start with the obvious: foliage is well past peak and there are tons of leaves on the trails hiding rocks, roots and other obstacles. It was dry today so it wasn't bad but there were some narrow side hill sections on Israel Ridge Path near Lower Cascades and section of Link leaving this area that were awkward to walk. Very dry today but several wet areas in the scrub areas of Castle Trail and Cornice that had surprisingly slick rock surfaces. Emerald Trail was covered in pine needles, leaves and rotted wood fragments. I descended trail so it made for nice cushioned foot falls but in wet conditions I could see this trail being extremely slick and dangerous. There are not many rocks or roots for traction, just debris and dirt. Trail is very steep for about .3 miles. Lower section of Emerald Trail leading over to Castle Ravine Trail was pretty wet and a little tricky to follow with the leaves on ground too. Several "Path" signs to watch for. Started to rain last mile or so which was making the leaves really slick. The last section of The Link where it turns East toward the Cascades has lots of ups and downs with awkward side hill footing and steep drop offs to one side. |
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 | Name: |
DayTrip |
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 | E-Mail: |
bblanchette0709@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-10-15 |
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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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