| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Speckled Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Haystack Notch Trail, Miles Notch Trail, Red Rock Trail, Spruce Hill Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, June 7, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked near the Haystack Notch trailhead on 113, no issues. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Let’s talk about the water crossings at the east end of Haystack Notch. There are 4. The first one was a rock hop, but barely. The second one looked incredibly gnarly so I bushwhacked around it. On the third one I went up to mid thigh unavoidably. (Yay for waterproof socks). And the fourth one. Ahhh, the fourth one. The water wasn’t moving particularly fast but it was waist deep. It appears that this section of the brook has seen some change in character after the crazy rain last month. You can see where it used to be wide and flat (and therefore wadeable) but is now narrow and deep. I found a fabulously placed paper birch (that was not rotted!) and shimmied across it. There was a whole lot of debris, branches, etc, blocking me from getting all of the way to the far bank, and it was probably very amusing for the chittering squirrels to watch my fruitless attempts at getting across those last 5’. When I was finally able to fling myself safely onto the bank, all that I could do was laugh!! |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Thank you to the person or persons that recently did a whole lot of axe work east of Speckled. Wowza! And that new relocation is clutch because that grouping of blowdowns on the sidehill would otherwise be hard to get around.
For the CTA Trails - I am going to the work weekend this weekend and will update in person!! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Lots of mosquitoes. Brought home one tick. Ugh. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I “needed” Haystack Notch, and Miles Notch (the north end) for the Hiking the White Mountain Guide project. Haystack Notch lived up to its reputation - not only were the water crossings challenging, but the footing was difficult due to long stretches of swamp, very aggressive hobble bush and ferns, and endless blowdowns. After those shenanigans, and after ascending the much more pleasant Miles Notch Trail up to the Red Rock junction, I was reluctant to go back the way that I came. So I looped it by heading out and over Speckled, down Spruce Hill (one of my favorite Evan’s Notch trails) and then a short road walk. The mileage and gain were more than an out and back would have been, by it was a much more fun hike this way!! |
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 | Name: |
Bikecamphikegirl |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-06-07 |
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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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