| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Hellgate Brook Slide , NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lincoln Woods Trail, Franconia Brook Trail, skidder roads, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, September 3, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lincoln Woods lot FULL at 8am today - I parked in a pulloff about 1/4 mi down the road. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
no issues - all crossings low and rocks not slippery |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
usual multiple deadfall in the Wilderness Area |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I would NOT take a dog anywhere near the slide |
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 | Bugs: |
some biting bugs on the slide - OUCH |
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 | Lost and Found: |
found a mylar balloon DEEP in the Pemi Wilderness stuck in the ground - again - took it out - this was probably why I found a cool relic deep in the wilderness :) |
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 | Comments: |
OK, so, this is the old (shows up very clearly on the 1939 Aerial photographs) and well-grown-in slide just east of the slide up to West Bond commonly called the "Guitar Slide". This was NOT the Guitar Slide. The foot of *this* slide starts at about 2920' on Hellgate Brook (north side). I climbed up the slide to about 4280' when the slide petered out, which was just southwest of the summit of West Bond.
Rode my bike on Lincoln Woods Trail to the wilderness boundary and locked it up. From there, I jogged up the Franconia Brook Trail to Hellgate Brook. At that point, zipped on pant legs and put on gaitors. Bushwhack was reasonably open and there were occasional MAJOR skidder roads/trunk roads - MUCH more obvious on the ascent - almost invisible on descent. Still, scratchy moving away from stream.
There are several slides to look for - as stated above, I took the 2920' base - very easy and U-shaped at first, but, there are some blowdowns in there. I hit a low open scree field around maybe 3300' and then it became very light - hard to find - had trouble finding the upper open slide - that happened around 3600' and ran all the way up to 4280' - amazing views BUT caution: VERY steep, unstable, and dangerous. I kicked many many rocks out that ricocheted all the way to the bottom. VERY difficult to get good footing. I took it very slow and cautious but I do carry a PLB just in case :) the descent was just as scary.
My original plan was to go up this older slide and descend via the guitar slide. However, I didn't see an obvious link to the guitar slide and figured I should descend the way I came up for safety sake. I had old intel on the guitar slide but not enough detail to suggest it would be a safe descent route.
Amazing views towards Bondcliff and southward from the top half of the slide as the bottom half is completely grown in!!!!! Terrific day!!!! Lots to explore in there!!!!
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 | Name: |
Becca Munroe |
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 | E-Mail: |
beccahiker@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-09-03 |
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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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