| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Pierce, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Crawford Connector, Crawford Path, Mizpah Cutoff, Mt. Clinton Trail, Dry River Cutoff, Mt. Eisenhower Trail, Eisenhower Loop, Webster Cliff Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, July 6, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Large paved lot with outhouse. Fee area. Lot was about half full with some people on side of road at 7AM. About the same when I left at 5PM. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There were numerous small river crossings on Dry River Cut Off. The first two were basically gullies with gravel/small rocks. While OK today on high water days you'd have to walk through them because there is nothing to stand on. There were also two with blow downs across rocks that were a little tricky. The one real river crossing before Mt Eisenhower Trail was tough to follow. There is a small brook crossing just before main crossing. I couldn't find trail on opposite bank so I followed bank into a camp site. There was a path leaving back of site up a muddy hill where it rejoins trail. This trail leads to official crossing of river near a huge rock. There were numerous pink ribbons tied to trees down the tributary brook that don't really correlate to the actual trail or crossing. Not sure why they are there. The actual crossing was reasonably easy but you will need to get boots a little wet. Last 3-4 rocks were all under 3-4 inches of water. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Noticed some new blazes on Crawford Connector and Mizpah Cut Off. Otherwise not many (most of route was in wilderness area). The log structures on all of these trails are well worn out, slick with moss and in may cases rotting away and falling apart. Dry River Cutoff and Mt Eisenhower Trail have tons of irritating blowdowns, many awkward duck and/or crawl unders. Many of sections of Dry River Cut Off and Mt Eisenhower Trail (especially the top before Crawford Path) could use a serious brushing. Seemed like I was getting slapped in the face by branches the whole way. The sign for Webster Cliff/Crawford path below summit of Mt Pierce had been removed from cairn and was propped up in bushes on side of trail. Not sure if it was mischief or damage. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
These trails would all be fine for dogs but they will get quite dirty. |
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 | Bugs: |
Fortunately good breezes all day kept them away. Only really noticed them in the parking lot when I was leaving. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Half of a trekking pole was hanging from a tree on Crawford Path approaching Webster Cliff junction. Had a snow basket on it so it may have been there for awhile. |
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 | Comments: |
Trails fairly wet today. Lot of standing water, running water and minor mud. Not too bad though. The Dry River Cut Off was a horrible experience. It is VERY WET with lots of deep mud, slimy log bridges and many areas where you had to cross large muddy areas on fallen tree branches and twigs. Felt like I was on this small stretch of trail for 9 days. There is also a small bog area where you really can't tell where trail goes. If you stay on the submerged sticks and logs and work to the right you will eventually see trail on far side. The whole Clinton/Dry River/Eisenhower section was honestly not worth the aggravation. It was rugged, messy, irritating walking and I found the woods/scenery pretty unexciting. Unless you are redlining I wouldn't bother taking this section. |
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 | Name: |
DayTrip |
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 | E-Mail: |
bblanchette0709@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-07-07 |
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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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