| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Whiteface, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Kate Sleeper Trail, Downes Brook Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, June 24, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room at the Downes Brook trailhead. Be quick when you're there though - bugs are terrible at the trailhead. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
10 crossings of Downes Brook. It was raining for most of the descent, so the rocks were very slippery. The first 5 (headed down) I rock-hopped with care. #6 I put on waders. #s 7-9 I was able to rock-hop very carefully, though my boots did get somewhat wet. The lowest crossing was impossible to rock-hop. We knew it was less than a mile from the bottom, so rather than spend the time putting on and taking off waders, I just walked straight through. The water was cool but not bone-chillingly cold - it was actually kind of a nice temperature. But yeah, for that bottom-most crossing, if you don't have waders then you're going to get wet. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Large blowdown lengthwise along Kate Sleeper Trail just above the junction with Downes Brook Trail (going toward Whiteface). Some parts of that section of Kate Sleeper are wet, rocky, and eroded. Downes Brook Trail had dozens of blowdowns, of all shapes and sizes. Parts of Downes Brook Trail were also very wet and followed eroded streambeds. Signs were all in place. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
They might have needed to be carried across some of the river crossings on Downes Brook Trail. |
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 | Bugs: |
Horrible all day, particularly near the junction of Downes Brook and Kate Sleeper and on the lower half of Downes Brook Trail. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
This was day 2 of a two-day backpacking trip (day 1: https://www.newenglandtrailconditions.com/nh/viewreport.php?entryid=67362) - we spent the night at a small, unofficial spot near the junction of Kate Sleeper and Downes Brook where a couple of tents can be pitched. First we did an up-and-back to the summit of Whiteface using Kate Sleeper Trail - this section of trail was damp, with some wet, rocky, eroded areas and some nicer areas as well. Everything was clouded in. After we got back to our tents, as we were packing up, it started to rain, and it rained for about the first half of our descent down Downes Brook Trail. The trail was very slippery in many places, and lugging overnight packs didn't help. Some sections of the descent had good footing and gradual grades, but other areas were on wet, slippery rocks in eroded streambeds. Water crossings were all difficult and got tougher as we descended.
This hike completed chapter 8 of my redlining - Mt. Chocorua and the Eastern Sandwich Range. Despite being 81% complete, this is actually the first chapter I have completed in my redlining journey. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-06-24 |
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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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