| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Kittredge Hill, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mad Road Trail, Ridge Link, Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, March 21, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked at the gated start of Mad Road Trail. Only room for a couple cars. I don’t recall how doable parking roadside would’ve been. There’s a sign by the gate indicating that the trail is closed during mud season but if you read the fine print you’ll see that only applies to motorized vehicles. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There’s a handful of water crossings on Mad Road and on Ridge Link, all of which are small. Water was clearly elevated but crossings were still easily rock hopable. One crossing (only crossing?) on Ridge Link has a dilapidated bridge across it…doesn’t look like it’ll get replaced, but again, easily rock hopable even at elevated water levels. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Lots of debris down from recent high winds and the winter. Doesn’t look like spring clean up had happened yet. I don’t recall if it was blazed but obviously it’s easy to follow and I don’t recall any major obstructions. Ridge Link has some blowdowns. I don’t recall if it was blazed. Seemed to be more lightly used than I would’ve thought but not hard to follow. The Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway (MSG) is obviously blazed in white. Easy to follow but also had some blowdowns in addition to the small debris. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Day 141, Peak 120. 1st hike of the day. Very windy but a warm and sunny day :)
From Rt 31, we took Mad Road Trail to Ridge Link. The road descends slightly, then ascends to the col between Jones Hill and a bump to the north, then descends a little more aggressively to between Bacon and Frog Pond. The road was a mix of bare trail and snow. Not enough snow/ice throughout the hike to warrant putting microspikes on though we had them with us. The road was wet/soft in places but not really muddy. Ridge Link was a moderate ascent to the ridge with some standing/running water on trail. Lots of debris on it and some larger blowdowns too I believe. The MSG had the most snow/ice but still nothing much. Trails are mostly bare. There’s a cairn and a sign at the highpoint on trail. We continued a few yards beyond this, then turned right and whacked a few dozen yards maybe to the highpoint where there’s a large blowdown. We continued a little further to a filtered view of Lovewell through the trees where we sat and ate lunch. Felt quite warm with the sun on us and then quite cold when it hid beyond the clouds and the wind started to howl! We returned the same way.
Note that 1) Ridge Link is not shown on Gaia except for the very start of it on the MSG side and 2) the spur to Frog Pond shown on Gaia either isn’t where it says it is or doesn’t exist. Gaia had us at 6.5mi though the guidebook would suggest closer to 5.8mi. 800ft of elevation gain. 224 more days and 245 more peaks to go… |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-03-24 |
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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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