| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Washington, Ball Crag, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Great Gulf Trail, Gulfside, Nelson Crag Trail, Wamsutta Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, June 8, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Good sized paved lot with an outhouse. Fee area. About 10-12 cars when I arrived. Only two left at sunset when I returned. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Spring Snow |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
7 river crossings on Great Gulf Trail (not counting those that are bridged, which were in first two miles or so). All were fairly easy although it should be noted that a lot of the rocks had moss and were quite slick in spots. The 4th crossing a bit after the waterfalls and ledges has no obvious path on other side. What appears to be a brook on far side diagonally left is actually the trail. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No blazes in trees. Very faded yellow markings on rocks on Great Gulf headwall and a few small cairns. Nelson Crag an upper Wamsutta have well defined cairns. Many blowdowns along way, most of which are awkward height. The further into Gulf you go the more problematic they become, although none are so bad bushwhacking is needed. I got on hands and knees for a few of the duck unders (I'm 6'3"). |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Great Gulf trail was generally fine for dogs, even the headwall, but there are some problem areas along the way that might require care. Plenty of water. I would definitely NOT take dogs on Wamsutta trail. There is a lengthy steep section with ledges and a difficult chimney that would likely result in a catastrophic fall for dogs. |
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 | Bugs: |
Again almost no bugs. There was hardly a breath of wind all day, even on Washington, and yet no issues. The black flies were out in small clouds high up above treeline but only landed occasionally and never bit. Late in the day some mosquitos were out with an occasional bite but nothing requiring repellent. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
n/a |
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 | Comments: |
Spectacular day today. Great Gulf to Clam Rock was mostly dry with small muddy areas. After that the trail gets rougher and somewhat wetter and in combination with blowdowns made for slower travel than you'd think looking at map. Shortly after junction with Wamsutta/Six Husbands it gets wetter and there are some ledge sections along some water falls which were wet and slick with moss. The approach of Spaulding Lake had several deep patches of soft snow and some awkward boulders to negotiate. Headwall was wet early on but dry for the most part. Only real problem area is descending Wamsutta. Where the trail first drops into the trees it is very wet and slick despite relatively easy grades. After emerging from trees again the trail then drops very steeply to the Gulf floor (from 4000' to 3400' in about 0.2 miles). There are many small ledges with drops of 3'-5' that were easily negotiated by sitting on the edge and lowering yourself down. The chimney mentioned in the AMC Guide at approximately 3570' was very steep and wet. I had to hang from an exposed tree root and lower myself down the ledge and get footing on a 6" wide area blindly to negotiate. Missing this ledge or slipping would have resulted in a slide/fall of 8-10'. Shorter hikers may have a lot of trouble here. Woods were extremely thick around. Didn't see any obvious bushwhacks. Rest of descent, while steep, was negotiable and I didn't feel unsafe. |
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 | Name: |
DayTrip |
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 | E-Mail: |
bblanchette0709@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-06-09 |
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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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