| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
King Ravine, Dome Rock, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Airline, Short Line, Randolph, King Ravine, Upper Bruin, Lower Bruin, Watson Path, Brookside, Kelton, Inlook |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, June 29, 2014 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Very large paved lot; no fees; no facilities. Lot was about 3/4 full at 6:45AM with cars scattered as far as a 1/4 mile down the road. Maybe a little less full when I left at 3:30PM. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Only two real river crossings - one at beginning of Kelton Trail and one at very end of Inlook Trail. Both had much higher water than I expected but were pretty easy with dry feet. Numerous smaller crossings were all very low or dry. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails I did were in good shape, reasonably blazed and free of blowdowns. The boulder area and rocks in King Ravine had much older, faded blazes that were hard to follow in many places. I actually got off trail at one point until I spotted the cairns in the upper part of trail. (Trail generally stays to the right of the slide you climb as you get further up. I accidentally wandered left into a very loose talus area until I realized my mistake). |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I would NEVER take a dog on the section of King Ravine Trail from Mossy Falls through the head wall. There are many very difficult scrambles (climbing up 3-5' and requiring use of hand and foot holds on angled surfaces) with large gaps in the rocks that drop 10-15' down in many areas. I'm sure somebody's dog has done it but the potential for a catastrophic fall is far too high in my opinion, especially for a smaller dog. Other trails I did were fine. |
|
 | Bugs: |
My good luck finally caught up with me today. The black flies were out in force today, swarming, biting and doing suicide missions into ears and eyes. And it was dead calm for the entire day so there was no relief. They were worst at treeline but bad everywhere. Probably 6-7 out of 10 on the misery meter. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
There was one balled up, fairly nasty looking gray sock in middle of lot when I left. I elected to look the other way and drive off. |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Generally excellent trail conditions with some exceptions. The section of Short Line after leaving Randolph Path and before Mossy Falls had numerous wet/muddy areas. There was one lengthy stretch (maybe 0.1 miles) where you had to walk around/between some fairly large wet rocks that had a lot of mud and deep standing water. Very slick and awkward. This part of trail looks like it is usually quite a mess based on sediment deposits, etc. Regarding the Subway, it lives up to it's reputation as being very rigorous scrambling using upper and lower body, proper use of leverage and hand holds, etc. And if you are claustrophobic (like me) I would not do it. There are 4 "problem areas" on the route. I skipped 2 very small crawls by going up and over on pretty hairy scrambles that may not be possible for shorter hikers (I'm 6'3"). If the first one (by far the easiest and least unnerving) makes you uncomfortable and/or you're struggling with the tall scrambles I'd suggest you turn around and take The Elevated route. I skipped Ice Caves so I can't comment on how tight they were (the entrance was very dark and cavernous but was roughly head height at beginning at least). The short section of Watson Path I was on cutting over to Brookside was very slick with deep mud and very awkward tree roots. Most of Brookside Trail section I did also had numerous slick, gnarly root areas prime for a bad slip and a broken ankle/leg. The Inlook Trail was a very picturesque trail with great views up to Madison and Adams on a series of ledges. The way I cut over to it was probably not worth the effort but pretty trail if you ever find yourself in the area. |
|
 | Name: |
DayTrip |
|
 | E-Mail: |
bblanchette0709@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2014-06-30 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
