| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Rogers Ledge, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Kilkenny Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 25, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Huge parking area as the trailhead is at a full service recreation area (large pond with a beach, picnic area). Signs say there's a $7 fee for parking, but if you tell the guy at the booth that you're hiking and not using recreation facilities, you don't have to pay.
Lots of available parking in the morning, not so much in the afternoon. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The AMC guide mentions one crossing of Cold Stream, but there are actually two. Both were rock-hoppible, however I botched the second one due to a slick rock (had no issue when crossing on the return trip however). |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
This section of Kilkenny Ridge was backcountry at its purest. It goes through wild forests, and it seemed like it was trekked more by moose than humans-tons of moose poop. It was quite overgrown, especially when you reach the fir woods. Experienced hikers shouldn't have any issues navigating the trail, but some care is required in spots-and this is a trail that you don't want to lose.
Despite all the overgrowth there were no bad blowdowns, although there was plenty of debris on the trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No dogs today. |
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 | Bugs: |
All of them. Beyond the swarms of black flies and mosquitos, we had spider problems. We must have been the first people on the trail, and since the trail gets very narrow in spots, we ended up being the guys who whacked into all of their webs.
Today I also learned that inch worms can bite. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
What a beautiful day to hike a hidden gem. For us, this was the last of the new 52 WAV peaks that were added this year. Going in, I was thinking there would be a tad more trail use, but all we encountered were three backpackers (a couple hanging out at the true summit, and one other on the descent), meaning that we were the only day-hikers. We had the ledge to ourselves the entire time we were there, and it was a truly phenomenal place. I suppose that even with the inclusion of this peak on the list, it's still very remote (from both a driving standpoint as well as a hiker's), not to mention that this was not your typical manicured trail. All things considered, I felt that the wild/overgrown nature of the trail was much more of a feature than a bug, and it gave you that true backcountry experience.
36/52 WAV |
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 | Name: |
NHhiker95 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-07-25 |
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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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