| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Dinsmore Mountain, North North Doublehead (West Dinsmore), Doublehead Mountain - Northeast Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Wentworth Trail, bushwhack, Sandwich Notch Road, Crawford-Ridgepole Trail, Bearcamp River Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 10, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at Mead Base. I was the first car there at 6:30am. About a half dozen others when I returned around noon. Room for more than a dozen there before you might have to get creative. There’s room for extra cars at the jct with Sandwich Notch Rd as well which looks to be just under a 1/2mi from the parking area. Diamond Ledge Rd turns to dirt at some point. They’ve put pebbles down on the muddier parts so the mud wasn’t too bad but my FWD car actually struggled a bit getting up the pebbles on the uphill on my return. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Minor drainage crossing on Wentworth Trail. Water was high from recent rain but it was still easily rock hopable. Crossings on Bearcamp River Trail are bridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No blowdowns on any of the trails as far as I recall. Bearcamp River Trail is blazed in yellow and is easy to follow. I believe Wentworth Trail was also blazed in yellow. No problem following it. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I wouldn’t recommend the Crawford-Ridgepole Trail for most dogs given the scrambles. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Day 161, Peaks 147, 148, and 149. This looked to be the best weather day out of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday so I planned a longer day but was unfortunately met with rain, sleet, and snow showers for a good chunk of this hike. The sun finally came out when I was headed back along the Bearcamp River Trail.
I climbed up the Wentworth Trail from Mead Base, which was still wet from recent rain and the sun was not out yet as predicted. Nice to revisit this trail as it’s been a few years since redlining :) I left the trail at 2100ft and contoured up to the ridge, hitting it at about 2200ft at the last bump along the SW ridge of Mt Israel. Woods weren’t think but were still of a bit of a pain with blowdowns; I usually find contouring difficult. I followed the ridge, which was very reminiscent of the Squam Range Peaks with hardwoods all around except for mixed, ledgy woods right around little summits, toward the col. I stayed a bit south of the actual col and hiked steeply up to the summit of Dinsmore; I think I followed a drainage. No register at the summit. Just a D in a tree! I took a bearing and headed generally west off the summit of Dinsmore, following a little north of the ridge, then crossing a minor drainage and onto another minor ridge, then another drainage which I followed down to just south of the HOL on Sandwich Notch Rd. There was still some snow coming off the peak for the first with or two of a mile to about 2200ft. You’d “posthole” through it often enough but it’s only about 4-6in.
I walked north along Sandwich Notch Rd to the HOL, then travelled SW to North North Doublehead/West Dinsmore. By not starting to bushwhack until the actual HOL, I avoided the steepest stuff and soon attained a minor ridge before soon skirting to the south side of the 1740ft bump NE of the summit. From there, I hiked up very steeply, just to the south of a mossy boulder field, to the summit ridge which I then followed to the summit. The highpoint, marked by a land survey monument, is just outside of the highest contour on Gaia and Caltopo and does not have a register. It seems that whenever registers get placed on these peaks, they get taken down.
I then took a bearing to Doublehead Northeast and made my way down S/SE, passing over several small bumps along the way to the col. One, which actually shows on Gaia, I should have gone around as it was crazy steep coming off of. I began making my way up Doublehead shortly after this at gentle grades, becoming steeper as you here’s the summit area. The summit area is quite flat and still has some snow on it which you’ll punch through. A little deeper than the 4-6in found earlier in the day but not too bad. Certainly not enough to bring snowshoes for. I walked around from highpoint, to highpoint, eventually finding what I’m sure is the true summit with a small cairn next to it with no snow, but no jar either. A short walk from here to the Crawford-Ridgepole Trail (CRT). The CRT still had spots of snow along the ridge as well as some water and mud. The scrambles took some time getting down, especially with the wet rock. As least it wasn’t raining at this point and the sun was starting to come out. Honestly, I wasn’t thrilled about going down them alone. I only partially remembered the first scramble and didn’t recall the second one right after it. Some will not be comfortable with these or going down them and there’s not an easy work-around. Smooth sailing after this.
I walked SE along Sandwich Notch Rd to Bearcamp River Trail which I followed back to my car. While I may not have overly enjoyed being on the CRT again, Bearcamp River Trail is a pleasure :) The hike was about 8mi with roughly 2600ft of gain, taking me 5hr15min to complete. There were some small sections of ice on the trail and even while bushwhacking but not enough that I would’ve stopped to put on microspikes though some may wish to. 204 more days and 216 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: |
2022-04-12 |
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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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