| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Randolph, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Road walk, Four Soldiers Path, Underhill Path, Crescent Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 22, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Don't even think about trying to take a low-clearance vehicle on Pond of Safety Road - it is in poor condition, with lots of deep potholes, dips, ruts, large rocks, you name it. My friend's RAV4 made it, but we had to be very careful and drive very slowly the entire way - leave lots of extra time for the drive (it took us over a half-hour to drive 3.7 miles). In all honesty, mountain biking the road would probably take less time than driving it. You can't drive all the way to the trailhead - park at the fork in the road just before the trailhead, and then walk 0.1 miles on the right fork to the trailhead (the left fork leads to the Pond of Safety). |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy rock hops. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Several blowdowns on all the trails, including some that required bushwhacking around. Signage is good. Some of the bog bridges are collapsing. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I don't see why not. |
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 | Bugs: |
They were a constant presence throughout the hike. We both wore our headnets for the whole hike. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nada. |
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|
 | Comments: |
After a perilous drive to the trailhead that took much longer than we expected, we were able to redline these trails. These are clearly lesser-used trails - the blazing is fairly well done, but the trails' footbeds are pretty indistinct at times, particularly Four Soldiers and Underhill paths. There's new growth in the trail corridor in many places, requiring fairly constant attention in order to follow the trails. These trails might be even more difficult to follow in a few weeks, when that new growth is fully grown.
If you're an experienced hiker who has followed overgrown trails many times, you might enjoy the remoteness and solitude of these trails (we didn't see a single other hiker). But if you have any difficulty at all following ordinary trails, don't try these - losing the trail would be easy, and you'd be in the complete middle of nowhere.
Not too much mud - the trails are overall mostly dry. No snow or ice anywhere. Hot, humid, and mostly overcast day. |
|
 | Name: |
GN |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-05-22 |
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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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