Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Moran Notch Mountain (West Muise), Mt. Muise (North Whitcomb), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Gadwah Notch Trail, old skidder road, herd path, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 27, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at the drivable end of Nash Stream Rd at a gate. This gate is not shown on Gaia but is shown on CalTopo at 1755ft. This is at the second to last fork in the road on Gaia. The road in is in typical shape. Very bumpy at times and has some small rocks poking out but any car should be able to handle it with care. The road does narrow some near the end but isn’t really any rougher; many camps/houses at the end of the road so it actually appears quite well travelled. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I crossed the Nash Stream both on my way up and down from West Muise. With recent rain the rocks were slippery and the water a bit elevated. A little hard to rock hop in trail runners with dry feet but I managed. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The CT is generally well marked and easy to follow. I met Tom who was out with a weed whacker maintaining his section of the trail. Thanks for your work and terrific conversation on your way down! No blowdowns as far as I recall now but that’s not saying much. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure |
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 | Bugs: |
Not bad as far as I recall |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Day 300, Peaks 277 & 278: first hike of the day.
I walked behind the gate on the continuation of Nash Stream Rd (the left branch) which is also the CT/Gadwah Notch Trail. The road is a bit overgrown as is to be expected but is pleasant enough walking. Saw some Bear scat and interesting looking flowers along it. It was still quite wet from rain overnight and the day before. The road forks again after about 1/2mi. To the right according to Gaia is Nash Stream Rd. I took the left fork to continue toward my peaks. I planned on hitting Muise first and West Muise on my way back to break up the road walk on my return but about 1.6mi in I saw a more overgrown road/skidder road diverging left from the main road toward West Muise. It seemed flat so I thought this made more sense to take toward the peak than dropping down to cross the brook on my return trip. I contoured along the old road which was a herd path at times for 1/3mi until it ended and I crossed the Nash Stream. This road was very wet and muddy at points so I whacked next to it at times.
On the far side of the stream I bushwhacked steeply up to the SW ridge of the peak. I found some old skidder roads to help me get up to the ridge as well which were more gradual than going straight up the grade. Open hardwoods. Once I attained the ridge, grades were more gradual. The woods remained open though there was a sort of sub-ridge on the right that was softwoods. This was easier to follow and the softwoods were pretty open so I followed this rather than meandering through the ferns and such to my left. All softwoods by the time I reached the summit but not thick. A very nice approach. Not hard to find the register. After signing in I headed down the E/NE ridge toward a col. As I began to near the col, the woods became very hobblebushy and brushy but it was easy enough to push through. I spooked a moose that I think was bedding in here. Worked for me as I then got to follow its path through the brush it pushed down ;) Shortly before reaching the col I banged a right and headed SE and headed down toward the Nash Stream. A bit of wet footing in here I believe as I crossed the drainage from the col. I followed an old road that paralleled the Nash Stream to the east for about 0.1mi before turning right (south) and crossing it as the woods looked rather brushy on the other side at times. I climbed briefly back up to the road in “meh” woods.
I continued along the road/CT which at some point became a footpath. Somewhere along here is when I ran into the trail maintainer. Some wet footing and overgrown trail for sure. I’d originally planned on starting my whack at 2750ft or so to head toward Muise but I was enjoying being on the CT and wanted to see how much closer it would take me to the peak so I stayed on the trail until about 2900ft not far from Gadwah Notch. I then began my whack once the trail was out of a wet area and in the woods. I tried to take a fairly straight shot at the peak from here (AKA NOT follow the ridge) but I ended up following the ridge a bit more closely than intended. Overall, a longer but less steep approach than 2700ft or so where I was planning to whack from and where I believe most people do. I was whacking mostly in softwoods and they were thick at times and usually somewhat thick. Nothing terrible but it was a long whack. I ended up hitting the flat area around 3250ft which was a bit annoying. Some wet stuff in here. I also don’t remember this section terribly well.
In any case I finally hit the highpoint. Not hard to find the register though there’s a few bumps you could mistake for the summit if coming from the north as I was. I signed in and decided to go down the standard way. Plan was to head west off the summit along the ridge, then cut NW off the ridge and slab back down to the road beginning at 3200ft or so. Interestingly, I cut just slightly south right off the summit to avoid something, and while I thought I quickly corrected and passed over the ridge, I found myself getting pulled down and next to some thicker woods. I checked my GPS and I had indeed NOT passed back over the western ridge as I’d thought. Amazing how such a small deviation can cause you to falter so much!! Once on the ridge things were nicer; mostly ferns and relatively open softwoods. I began slabbing down around 3300ft. Pretty good woods on the way back down to the road. I followed an overgrown skidder road as I neared the CT again. Pushed through thicker stuff just before reaching it. I hit it at 2750ft and then enjoyed a looong road walk out made much better by running into trail maintainer Tom again and conversing about the great town of Berlin NH from which he is from and I now live. Small world!
Hike was about 9.25mi with around 2200ft of gain. Took me 6hr15min. A pleasant hike for sure but I wouldn’t recommend following the CT almost all the way to Gadwah Notch as I did. And, if you don’t, you could easily cut some distance and time from those numbers. 65 more days and 87 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: |
2022-08-30 |
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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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