| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Carrigain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Nancy Pond Trail, Carrigain Notch Trail, Desolation Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the trailhead for Nancy Pond, a small, dirt surfaced lot off US 302 outside of Bartlett, NH. Could hold up to 10 well parked cars. I have no idea if this is plowed in winter. There is a trailhead sign at the lot. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All crossings are rock hoppable. No issues at all. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
These are well maintained trails. Only a few blow downs on Nancy Pond past the ponds heading towards the junction with Carrigain Notch. These are small enough for a handsaw. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Good trails for dogs. Many water points. Desolation Trail is quite steep, but canines would probably fare better than humans… One unleashed dog in the early morning was on a hike with her owners. She barked and growled at us, but obeyed the owners. Like I told the fella with her, it’s still quite intimidating when a dog is barking and growling at you, regardless if the dog lacks a history of attacks. He laughed it off saying they were training the dog and “thanks for being here!†Look, I just helped patch together a kid’s face in the ER after a dog attack. Then had to inject rabies vaccinations into the bite wounds. It’s NOT funny. Put the feckin’ thing on a leash around other humans. Another super cute, friendly, little dog on the summit tower. |
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 | Bugs: |
My butt has multiple bites from mosquitoes and black flies from trying to pee in the woods. Oh the price for my passion…. The bugs are awake… The worst bugs were a plethora of black flies on the summit. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Several items left at the Nancy Pond kiosk (this is about 0.2 miles in on the trail). |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
Nancy Pond Trail > Carrigain Notch Trail > Desolation Trail > back the way we came.
Nancy Pond Trail: the only blazes are updated yellow blazes marking the re-route just after entering the Nancy Pond Research area. Once in the Pemigewasset Wilderness there are no blazes. The Middle Cascades are phenomenal. We were mesmerized by it. This lovely trail is a gem. The trail is snow free as are the ponds. There is one 5 foot long, 3 foot high patch of snow just before the first pond. Huh. Interesting. Bog bridges are such a life saver!
Carrigain Notch: not blazed. Nice, discernible footbed. Gentle grade. I forgot how fun this little trail is. No snow. Absurdly dry…
Desolation Trail: not blazed. Why is it named Desolation? I found it teeming with life… The last 0.5 to 0.7 miles are wicked steep. I see why it’s on the “NH 25 Most Terrifying Trails†list. The trail is wide up to the start of the rock scramble. After this it is a narrow and completely discernible footpath. Only very small and very sparse pieces of ice/snow remain between the rocks and in crevices. No snow gear needed. All patches are completely negotiable with exposed rocks.
18 miles in the Carrigain region were totally worth it. I’ll be back out to hike Mt. Nancy. Only saw the couple with the dog and two trail runners on these back trails. There were six others at the summit tower when we got there (and on a Tuesday!). I’m impressed by this one fellow who did a massive trail loop nabbing Carrigain and Vose Spur along the way. Man was he in shape! You go, dude! |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-05-25 |
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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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