| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sandwich Dome, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Flat Mountain Pond Trail, Guinea Pond Trail, Guinea Pond Spur, Black Mountain Pond Trail, Mary Cary Falls Spur, Algonquin Trail, Sandwich Mountain Trail, Bennett Street Trail, Gleason Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, October 2, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
3rd car at trailhead at 7:30. There were 5 cars on return at 2PM |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All of the many water crossings were fairly easy rock hops |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails were in amazing shape. One large annoying crawl-under above Black Mountain Pond and another bothersome(but not that big) blowdown near top of Bennett Street. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
With rain in forecast and the Black Mountain Pond Trail having a reputation for gnarly scrambles I left Fin at home today. We beat the rain and she could have handled the scrambles without too much trouble. I regret not having her out there but do not regret my decision to leave her based on what I'd researched and the potential poor weather. Met one large yellow lab out ahead of his owner who gave us the old heroic tough guy bark before running back down to his mama. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Super Sandwich Saturday! Closed out my 4th tab in the redline quest and even managed to convince my old pal Dan to suffer with me a bit-was nice to have company because this hike was absolutely amazing. It didn't rain until we were coming down Bennett Street and was in shorts/tee shirt all day with mild temps/winds.
Guineau Pond was mostly boring with a few swampy areas. The detour around the beaver pond on the logs is straight forward and easy to follow at this point. The Guineau Pond Spur has a short section that is a real wet mess. Pick your own adventure at this spot we went far left and found a few huge blowdowns to walk on and stayed dry. The beginning of spur is now unmarked (no wooden post as guidebook said in 2016) but easy to spot if you're looking.
Black Mountain Pond Trail from start to finish is easily in my top 5 favorite trails. Beautiful wilderness woods along the River, an incredibly scenic pond with beautiful, walk-able shores, and a super steep climb to finish with tough scrambles and multiple viewpoints. I look forward to going back and camping someday with the fam.
A short while after hitting Algonquin we went into the clouds but we snuck in crazy views the entire way up with moody skies and undercasts rolling through the hills. Passed 5 backpackers (discussing nuclear holocaust) who had stayed at pond and a few people near summit, otherwise trails pretty much to ourselves. Bennett Street is a mellow descent and Great Falls is a really amazing cascade. PUD'ing Gleason at the end of the day sucked but in a good way. Cold beers were consumed at the river as the universe smiled upon us:)
"Give me Liberty(and REDLINING) or give me death!"
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 | Name: |
Spence, Dan |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-10-02 |
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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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