| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Whitcomb Mountain - West Peak, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Road walk, bushwhack |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, August 19, 2022 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at an area with space for a few cars right by Little Bog Pond Dam. The road continues beyond here to a cabin but is very, very rough. High clearance, at minimum, needed. Probably would want something lifted. Nash Stream Rd and Trio Ponds Rd to get to this point, while bulky at times, should be fine for any car. Note that this parking area is next to a house/cabin though it seems fine to park here. I met a couple guys who said they’ve done so before and were going fishing in the pond. Note that there is work being done on Nash Stream Rd (digging large rocks out of the road) about 1.5mi beyond Trip Ponds Rd along Nash Stream Rd. I couldn’t get by in the morning but they let me by later in the day as I believe they were finishing up. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
N/A |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I’d be careful around the cabin you park at and the one you pass by at the end of the road. |
|
 | Bugs: |
A few mosquitos I think but not bad at all. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Day 292, Peak 268. 1st hike/peak of the day. I’d planned on bagging middle and south Whitcomb first but due to access issues (see parking notes above) bagged this first. I got a later start than I wanted but perhaps that was a good thing as the woods were still quite wet and the sun seemed to come out later than predicted.
I walked the very rough continuation of the road (shown on CalTopo but not Gaia) beyond where I parked toward the east end of Whitcomb Pond. As shown on CalTopo, the road forks 1/4mi in or so. Take the left fork. This would be an easy mistake. The road ends at a cabin which I didn’t realize or forgot since reading reports.No one there but still felt creepy walking by their cabin and outhouse. You get views of the pond a little ways before reaching. The cabin; it was beautiful. The road was wet and the rocks slick but not too muddy or soft.
Though the peak was to my NW from the end of the road, I headed more northerly a bit just to get away from the cabin and to avoid any thick woods surrounding the pond. I also immediately came upon a herd path which seemed to naturally take me this way. It fiddled out before too long but worked well as it brought me into open woods. I then slabbed up NW to the peak in softwoods, but thankfully open woods. Quick and easy going to around 2500ft or so when I checked where I was. I’d slabbed a bit too steeply up and it looked like I’d hit that first knob just west of the col to the east of the peak rather than the peak itself. Oh well. Woods seemed a thicken and I saw blowdowns to my left (west, closer to the peak) so I went right. Woods remained good for a ways but soon I got to the pass of this knob which was very steep and bouldery and of course came with the requisite blowdowns too. I knew the next two bumps to my west before the peak would likely be similar. Ugh. Part of what led me here was trying to get over a wet area on the west side of the col too.
I finagled my way up and over the first knob, swung my way around to the north of the second knob (still a pain) and went right over the third knob which was smaller and less of a pain. Easy to find the register on the true peak. Woods were thicker right around it. Other than these knobs I went over from the col, the grades were easy-moderate and the woods were good. I signed in and plotted my way down.
Not wanting to go past the cabin again and wanting to avoid the knobs and col, I went down the way I for finally planned on going up: straight shot from the parking area. This is a shorter hike but involves a little more bushwhacking since you don’t use the road and stay to the west of the pond. I figured this would be steep for a ways as indicated by the contour lines but I could slab down and it wouldn’t be too bad. I was wrong. It was VERY steep and sort of forced me straight down without slabbing. Woods were quite thick too. Once I made it down to 2500ft or so the grade eased and the woods became better and it was a long slab and contour out. Footing wasn’t great though and the woods weren’t all that nice either. Generally got better the closer I got to the road though. I popped out on the road 1/4mi west of where I parked my car.
If doing this hike again, I’d split the difference between my routes and go up just by the west corner of the pond, hitting the summit ridge on the second bump. This was sort of what I had in mind for my descent; my mistake was dropping straight off the summit though and getting pulled down rather than walking the summit ridge to the east over the first summit bump or tow. Oh well. The hike was about 3.75mi with about 850ft of gain. It took me 3hrs to complete. 73 more days and 97 more peaks to go… |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2022-08-20 |
|
 | 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. |
|
