| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Emerald Bluff, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Castle Trail, Israel Ridge Path, Castle Ravine Trail, Emerald Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, October 9, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room at the Castle trailhead just off Route 2. It didn't look like it got even half full during the day. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nine crossings on this route. Assuming they would be challenging, I brought along my waders. I used them for the crossing on Castle Trail 0.4 from the trailhead, the crossing on Israel Ridge Path 0.1 from Castle Trail, and the first two crossings on Castle Ravine Trail. All of those crossings would've been very difficult if not impossible to keep one's feet dry without waders. I managed to very carefully rock-hop the next two crossings on Castle Ravine Trail - there were generally enough rocks, but the elevated water levels covered some that would've been useful, and all of the rocks were slippery from the precipitation. The next crossing was the one on Israel Ridge Path just above the Second Cascade - this would probably be an awkward crossing even with low water and in dry weather. I rock-hopped it very carefully, but my toes still got a little wet anyway. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No major blowdowns that I can remember, a little bit of mud in a few places but nothing major, and all signs were in place. The RMC always does a good job with maintaining their trails. My only suggestion involves the wooden ladders on Israel Ridge Path - the rungs were very slippery with the precipitation today, and I was descending them, so I needed to be very careful. Maybe some sort of metal mesh covering could be put on the rungs to provide more traction in wet conditions. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
A hardy, experienced trail dog that can deal with difficult water crossings, steep and rough trails, and wooden ladders could probably do this. |
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 | Bugs: |
None. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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|
 | Comments: |
Well, the weather wasn't exactly what I had expected, but I had a great hike anyway. I reached the trailhead at 9 AM, and it was cloudy, windy, and sprinkling, despite a good weather forecast down in Concord. As I expected, I needed my waders for the river crossings, and I could not have done this hike without them. All trails were easy to follow. The lower part of Castle Trail is very mellow, and Israel Ridge Trail is a little rougher but still not bad. Castle Ravine Trail almost feels like a wilderness trail, even though it is well marked. It has four river crossings below the junction with Emerald Trail, and it's fairly rough but never terrible. It was sprinkling for much of the approach in the ravine. Emerald Trail was steep and rough as advertised, and there were occasional minor scrambles that required more thought due to the wet rock, but nothing was especially bad. At roughly 4,000 feet of elevation, close to the side trail for Emerald Bluff, snow started to appear on the ground, and there was a dusting of it on the ridge. The view from Emerald Bluff was stunning - even though I couldn't see the Castles since the clouds were just a couple hundred feet above the Bluff, the view of Castle Ravine and its slides was excellent.
I decided to redline Israel Ridge Path up to the junction with Perch Path to get that section - the dusting of snow was continuous, but traction was still fairly good. I saw the only two other hikers I'd see all day in this section. The snow on Israel Ridge Path disappeared a few hundred vertical feet below the junction with Emerald Trail, and the rest of the descent on Israel Ridge Path was just wet, with slippery rocks. The Cascades near Israel Ridge Path were very nice.
The hike was 8 miles, 2,750 vertical feet, and 9 river crossings, and it took me 6 hours including breaks. I enjoyed myself despite the weather, and the foliage was beautiful with a lot of yellows and reds. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-10-09 |
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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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