| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Swift Diamond Pond Peak (South South Tucker), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Road walk, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, October 3, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
From Rt 26 in Errol, I drove north along Coarser Brook Rd for a little more than 6mi to its end on the far side of the bridge over the Swift Diamond River. I then turned right and followed Four Mile Brook Rd East then north for about 4mi before turning left onto a spur rd shown on Gaia that heads north then west toward the peak. This road didn’t look bad at its start but I parked just 0.2mi up it due to washout traffic in the road. High clearance (and 4WD??) could probably make it with caution though I’m afraid the larger issue is a huge divot in the road I saw neither on the way in nor on the way out that gave me a flat tire (though luckily not until the next morning). My recommendation would just be to park at the bottom of the road, but no matter what car you’re driving, I’d urge you to go very VERY slowly and keep an eye out for a seemingly hidden divot in the road. Coarser Brook Rd should be passable by low clearance cars though with some caution around the rockier parts around jcts with other roads and stepper sections of road. I don’t recall at what point, but at some point or another along Four Mile Brook Rd, you’re going to need mid-clearance I think. There’s some minor washout and such. As stated above, high clearance and caution on the last road I was on. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Crossed some very small (but STEEP) drainages |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
N/A |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure with caution. Very steep. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Day 337, 328. 3rd hike and 5th peak of the day after the South Tucker/Four Mile Brook Mountain, Chase Mtn, Loomis Valley Brook Peak trifecta, and West Tucker.
See the notes about the huge unseen divot in the spur road above. It gave me a flat tire so I tend to think it’s important ;P From my parking spot just 0.2mi up the road, I walked a little more than 3/4mi up the road to its end. From here, I entered the woods and headed W/SW up to the peak. Given the drainages and topography, I generally got pulled a bit too far south, especially at the start. Open woods but very steep as anticipated. No cliffs though. I hit the summit plateau well 0.2mi or so SE of the summit given my bearing. I walked to many bumps before finding the true summit and jar. Bit of a PITA. I’d give yourself extra time on this one to find the jar. I headed more directly east of the summit and got the bright idea I’d try to follow the drainage down. Easier navigationally and a straighter line than what I did on my ascent. While I did successfully do this, it didn’t provide great walking and the drainage certainly wasn’t obvious up high either. If doing this again, I suppose I’d try to follow the vague semblance of a ridge in between my ascent and descent lines. Still, no real scrambling and no cliff bands though. After following the drainage E/NE for a ways, just below 2200ft I turned due east away from the drainage and slabbed back to the end of the road. Quick walk back to the car with the moonlight guiding my way :)
The hike was just over 3mi with 950ft of gain, taking me almost 2hrs to complete. Probably 1.75mi of that was roadwaking. Another decent portion was looking for that darn register! 28 more days and 37 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: |
2022-10-10 |
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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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