Trestle 17, Harp Switch - East Side Trail, Wilderness Trail, Thoreau Falls Trail, bushwhacks - 5-14-2022

Hiking Trail Conditions Report
	Peaks	Trestle 17, Harp Switch, NH

	Trails:	East Side Trail, Wilderness Trail, Thoreau Falls Trail, bushwhacks

	Date of Hike:	Saturday, May 14, 2022

	Parking/Access Road Notes:	We got to LW at about 0700 and it was about half full. The same could be said upon return at about 1500.

	Surface Conditions:	Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant

	Recommended Equipment:

	Water Crossing Notes:	Todays trailed crossings where challenging due to snow melt. At the time of this posting, the East Branch @ Lincoln has shot up almost 50% since our travels through. Dogs will have a ruff time. It took over an hour and several failed attemps, but we where able to find crossings over both the Pemi East Branch and North Fork Pemi. We split it up into two crossings and still it was wildly difficult. We crossed the East Branch which was was flowing at a seemingly less velocity about 100 yards up stream from the confluence with NF. North Fork took several failed tries for me until we found a gentler spot in the straight away about 0.15 miles up from the confluence with EB. It was absolutely no nonsense, and NOT for someone who is even remotely uncomfortable with crossings.

	Trail Maintenance Notes:	We took about twelve trees out along all trails listed. East Side, coming from the campground, about 1/2 a mile before the intersection of Cedar Brook has a MASSIVE coniferous blowdown that will require axes or mechanical advantage to take out. Its the entire top of a tree that fell across the trail that there is no way to even limb it to make a passage. Another such behemoth mature silver birch can be found on Thoreau Falls Trail, about halfway from the junction of wilderness trail to the water crossing. Several stepovers here left for others if they felt up to the task, but most fall within wilderness guidelines.

	Dog-Related Notes:	Dogs might struggle on the water crossings. The volume and height of the water would sweep them away.

	Bugs:

	Lost and Found:


	Comments:	A FINE day was had deep in Henry's Woods. Today was all about trash. Henry's trash. I have read in a few books about a harp switch that stands along an abandoned siding of railroad that the trestle was destroyed in the 1920 flood. It appears on Henry's Map to 1917, but is omitted from Parker and Youngs Map from 1917-1945. This line was left to decay as it was less costly to leave it in the woods then actually try to reclaim it. We had great trail conditions all the way. As described in Erin Paul Donovan's Book "East Branch & Lincoln Railroad" we where able to find the Northwest siding of the main line and followed it to a roaring East Branch. See crossing notes above. I did some research on Granit View LIDAR and knew there was a 12' wide corridor somewhere in here. We where quickly able to identify two possiblilites, which we spread out and followed both. We knew we'd find it in the pinch point near the North Fork regardless. All of a sudden, I saw a straight line of moss. "RAIL! RAIL!" We let out a loud yell of success, we where hot on the trail. We followed a true railroad, 2 rails, 4'-8.5" apart, for about five hundred feet until we saw what we had hiked 7.5 miles for - the harp switch! It is one of three known to remain. A harp switch is a device that switches tracks for trains from one to another, in different directions. It took a lot of research and effort to find this piece of Henry's trash, but it was such a rush to stand next to it. We took pictures of ourselves straddling the rails, hooting and holleringlike children, before we retraced our steps out. We where going to attempt to ford the East Branch around Trestle 17, to go visit Trestle 16, but it was far too unsafe to attempt such a feat. Ended the day with Steve Smith and JR at the Mountain Wanderer, sharing stories. A FINE day. Pic attached is from today.

	Name:	The Teal Goat & Kiwi

	E-Mail:	sea2thebiscuit@yahoo.com

	Date Submitted:	2022-05-14

	Link:	https://ibb.co/XSm0psd
		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.