| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Spruce Mountain (Jackson) , NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Hutmen’s Trail, bushwhack |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, November 28, 2021 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked roadside by the trailhead, just north of the driveway/house. Only car there when I started at 10:30am and one other when I returned at 12:45pm parked similarly so there’s room for a few cars and it is not at all a popular trailhead. That said, if it’s not plowed out or anything, you could park a bit further south on the road at larger pullouts such as the Winniweeta Falls trailhead and park there and walk north a few tenths of a mile. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I easily crossed a small drainage near the start of my whack. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No blowdowns that I recall. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure, if you trust them on bushwhacks. Just be careful down low with them when you’re so close to others property. |
|
 | Bugs: |
None |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Day 28, Peak 26. 1st hike of the day. It was a bit warmer than anticipated when I started (low 30s) and the sun was out which was nice :) The trail was dry down low and only trace amounts of snow around the summit.
I can’t remember if the trail is blazed or not. Just watch out for little cairns/signs where the trail leaves the road and becomes a footpath at the beginning and you should be good. The footbed is obscured of course with all the leaves on it but was still easy to follow in this section.
I walked up the very steep first 0.4mi of Hutmen’s Trail, gaining about 550ft in that time. I continued a short ways past the wind chimes where others have started their whack, to where the trail levels off and bends to the left. I bore right instead, took a bearing, and crossed a small drainage to begin my whack. I headed S, then SE at easy grades for maybe the first 1/4mi, then more moderately/steeply the rest of the way. Open hardwood forest most of the way meant an easy whack. Got into some mixed woods around the summit. I came pretty quickly to what seemed like the high point, right next to where there is a red “A†on a tree, but no jar. I looked all around for one but no such luck. Another report, from last October, indicated they found no jar either so it looks like it got taken down a little over a year ago. Perhaps the next person up would be kind enough to hang one :)
I attempted to head back the same way but got off my bearing and was generally too far north on my return trip. I eventually popped out nearly at the same place I started my whack though. Quick trip down. The hike took me 2hrs though I probably spent a half hour looking all around the summit area for a damned canister…
337 more days and 339 more peaks to go… |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2021-11-29 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
