| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mill Mountain (Errol), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 5, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at the start of what looked like a very rough road on the east (though here it was more like the north) side of 26 near the HOL just below 1600ft. I didn't block the road but didn't leave a whole lot of room either. One set of tire tracks going in a very short distance up the road, then stopped. Seemed very unlikely that anyone would be coming down this. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
One small brook I crossed near the start of my hike. No problem |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
N/A |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Be careful as I may have crossed into private property. Also, don't lose them in the thick spruce up there! |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Day 35, Peak 36. 2nd hike of the day after whacking to the Hampshire Hills a bit further SE on 26, just west of the ME border.
I started up the road, with the peak nearly due east of me, then immediately turned off of it to my right into the woods, soon crossing a small stream. Nice, open woods. Grades were easy to start. Soon enough, I came to a wide open field with a red shed on one side of it. As I neared it a truck was leaving. The road I started on certainly couldn't have led to this so must have been another. Didn't look like it could be a private residence and I hadn't seen any private property markers or no trespassing signs so I entered the field and crossed to the far side of it enjoying the expansive views west. On the far side of the field, I entered the woods again. Still open, and still ascending at an easy grades. The grades eventually became a bit more moderate and I hit some young growth that was thicker. This young growth sort of marked the second half of the hike, in which the forest began to transition to spruce. I was able to find what felt like a herd path through the young growth (probably and old skidder road that felt more like a herd path with the snow on it) that took me up quickly. Eventually, my luck ended and the path ended where the spruce became thick. Also, this path swung me slightly north.
I looked for openings in the spruce that would take me further uphill and into the spruce I dove! This seemed to the way to do it: the spruce, while very thick, has many open patches, so you just push your way through and uphill from one patch to the next. This was quite time consuming and took some backtracking but I found the highpoint sooner or later. It was actually inbetween the two highest contours shown on Gaia so Gaia would seem to be a bit off here. Obviously this is subject to vary, but I would say that a good rule of thumb on this peak is to expect to spend *at least half* the time it took you to get to the thick stuff to push through the final few hundred feet to the summit and find it. If you're unlucky, I could certainly see it taking you equal time.
Though the spruce around the summit is very thick, I found this hike rather enjoyable on the whole. The summit area and the spruce seemed somewhat unique for such a short peak and there were some views from the summit. Of course the sunset helped add to the whole ambiance ;) The woods were very nice most of the way too...until they weren't. And the field I crossed down low was quite nice. I returned quickly in my tracks back to my car.
The hike took between 1.25-1.5hrs and was between 1.5-1.75mi with about 550ft of gain. 330 more days and 329 more peaks to go... |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-12-07 |
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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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