| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Passaconaway, Mt. Whiteface, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Downes Brook Trail, Downes Brook Slide, herd path, bushwhack, Dicey's Mill Trail, bushwhack, Rollins Trail, Kate Sleeper Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, July 11, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Adequate room at Downes Brook lot at 8 AM, but it looks like it overflowed at some point. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Downes Brook crossings were tricky and plentiful (some slippery rocks, others submerged), but doable with care without wading. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Mosquitoes were vexing down low this morning. Occasional deer flies at times. Overall, not too bad. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Downes Brook Trail to the junction of the abandoned Downes Brook Slide Trail was mostly dry.
Downes Brook Slide proper was greasy in places (would not want to descend), but otherwise okay. Former trail can be followed (with some bushwhacking in a few places to connect the dots). The scramble near the top (not too far from the view spur) was tricky, as the entire ledge was wet/greasy.
Upper Dicey's Mill Trail slippery in a few places. Stone masonry and/or relos needed to put this back together/make it sustainable. From the former Camp Rich site, we followed a brief herd path, then bushwhacked, slabbing over to the Rollins Trail (did note a prominent herd path in one spot, not really going in the direction we needed), in okay woods.
Rollins Trail was generally dry with some damp areas. Noted a new relocation is now in use, bypassing the tricky angle ledge (which could be treacherous in winter). Very seamless transition with the existing trail, with the old trail being heavily brushed in.
Kate Sleeper Trail had some greasy rocks with the humidity, but was otherwise dry.
Downes Brook from there back to where we had been was fairly dry with a few blown out areas that had running water.
Sunny to start, but increasingly cloudy and humid. I believe we counted 66 people from Passaconaway to the Kate Sleeper junction (that's with the bushwhack bypassing the junction), but did not see a single hiker otherwise (Downes, Kate Sleeper, bushwhacks). |
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 | Name: |
rocket21, bria, nordic_gal, bryan |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-07-11 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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