| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Mist, Webster Slide Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Wachipauka Pond Trail, bushwhack, Webster Slide Trail, view spurs |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, October 24, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked roadside (there’s a small pullout right at the trailhead and a large turnaround just north along Rt 25C/Lake Tarleton Rd). Only car there when I started at 8am and finished at 11:15am. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossing right at the beginning of the southern end of Wachipauka Pond Trail was rock hopable. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Wachipauka Pond Trail is blazed in white as it coincides with the AT. I don’t recall any blowdowns but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any. Might be a little hard to follow with all the leaves down. I think Webster Slide Trail was blazed in blue. Not frequent but not hard to follow. I don’t recall any blowdowns. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure, just be careful around the cliffs. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Day 358, Peaks 353 & 354. I’d already done these peaks years ago when redlining but I wanted to redo them and count them toward the 365 total and make sure I hit the high points. And it’s a good thing I did so for Mt Mist as the highpoint is almost definitely off trail…
It was supposed to be a dreary, rainy, day but it was only the latter here. Nothing more than mist on Mt Mist luckily ;) I think it rained overnight a bit though as the trails were wet though. Mostly easy to moderate grades on this trail with the one notorious brief but more steep and rugged section on Webster Slide Trail.
I and others had previously concluded the summit of Mt Mist is at the summit sign on trail. Nonetheless, others have argued it’s off trail so I went back to explore. If you look around you from the summit sign, nothing in the immediate vicinity seems higher. The only remote looking possibility is to the SE where there’s a decent but it looks like the land rises again in the distance. Head that way. When I got over there I thought “hmm I don’t think this is really any higher” but then I noticed a mound that was maybe 10ft+ above where I was standing which I think is almost definitely higher than the land at the summit sign. This is almost 0.1mi SE of the summit sign. Easy walking between the two. Note that CalTopo definitely has the red dot in the incorrect place.
The true summit of Webster Slide Mtn is closer to the trail. I found it to be maybe 100ft north of the trail either by a mossy tree stump or some blowdowns. Looks to be some nice places to pitch a tent up by the viewpoint there. I’d forgotten about the view spur 0.1mi to the west. I think the guidebook overplays its dangerousness. It’s pretty flat until the very end where it descends steeply but is certainly not as sketchy as the other view spur 30yds from the clearing.
Gaia had me at just over 7mi with about 1750ft of gain. Took me just under 3.25hrs to complete. 7 more days and 11 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: |
2022-10-27 |
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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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