| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sentinel Mountain, Canaan Mountain, Mt. Flagg, Mt. Shaw, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Road walk, Mt. Flagg Trail, Dave Green Trail, Sentinel Connector Trail, Canaan Mountain Trail, bushwhack, Gorilla Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 2, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I called Campo Merrowvista to discuss access and parking. They were appreciative of the call. One the way home early afternoon I counted 25 (!) vehicles in and around Mt. Shaw trailhead. I can only imagine what the upper Castle lot looked like. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The lowest crossing of Bodge Brook is bridged and the one immediately following has and older bed/bridge or fallen tree to use. No other significant crossings on this route. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No signs at all on this route, though blazes are generally visible throughout - more so on the eastern trails. Mt. Flagg Trail's blazes are sometimes a little tough to find but the trail is mostly obvious. There is also a fair amount of "flagg"ing tape to help. Gorilla Trail's blazes can still be followed but Father Time appears to be slowly taking them back. A couple of recent looking fallen tress on Sentinel Connector Trail - one in the col and other near the top. A couple of others on Mt. Flagg Trail. AFAIK Gorilla Trail is unmaintained so expect conditions to match. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Didn't see any. |
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 | Bugs: |
None. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Lost: a little blood, when I jammed my head into a branch stub on a leaning tree on Gorilla Trail. |
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 | Comments: |
Zero snow here but a lower section of Mt. Flagg Trail was some running and/or standing water making it a bit sloppy. Some other minor mud encountered but for the most part trails are dry.
It had been several years since I visited some of these trails and despite my advancing age I remembered many of them as I hiked along. Viewpoint W of Sentinel Mountain is a great place to admire Dan Hole Pond. From Canann Mountain Trail I whacked just about due N to Canaan Mountain: it was very open though somewhat steep and rocky but had no trouble finding the recognized summit. From there I whacked W which was less rocky but with more trees - however still open with good sight lines. I sat for a few minutes on top of Mt. Flagg before continuing to Mt. Shaw via Gorilla Trail. It seemed to me the blazes were a little more difficult to see descending Mt. Shaw than ascending - which I remembered to be the case last time I was here. Sat on Mt. Shaw for a good half hour in solitude before I made my way back to Mt. Flagg and down to the car. In fact I didn't see another soul on this entire trek - and I was very much OK with that. |
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 | Name: |
HMJ |
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 | E-Mail: |
trailsntrees(at)gmail(dot)com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-05-02 |
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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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