| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bear Mountain, Bear Mountain -- Northwest Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Road walk, Elwell Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, July 23, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked at the intersection of Bear Mountain Road and Panorama Lane, and walked up Bear Mountain Road (the old Alexandria-Hebron Turnpike) to the Elwell Trail. Bear Mountain Road is very rutted and washed out in sections further up (south), where it begins to climb to the saddle between Sugarloaf and Bear Mountain, and it was just easier to park down low and walk rather than bottom out the car. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Not an issue. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Corridor is in good shape, and relatively easy to follow, in spite of blazes being faded/old in a few sections. A few blowdowns, but nothing too serious: from the summit of Bear Mountain, heading west, there are soon two small blowdowns (Silky saw) -- one is half a duck-under on an incline with the jagged end sticking in the trail at about head-height. About a tenth of a mile east of the crossing of Corridor 151, there's an old rotted stepover on a slight incline (e-saw). Continuing west from Corridor 151 to the power line cut, there are three blowdowns -- two smaller ones (Silky saw) and one large, delimbed hardwood duckunder (e-saw). Powerline cut isn't too bad -- might take an hour or so with a pair of e-hedge trimmers, to define corridor and reveal obscured cairns. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Mosquitoes and eye flies -- and four fewer deer flies (they're stuck on the back of my hat). |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A short morning trek to see the condition of the Elwell Trail west of Bear Mountain, where some serious logging took place 6-7 years ago, all but obliterating parts of the corridor. The last time we were up here was a few years ago, when the corridor could be more or less followed but undergrowth unleashed by the logging was pretty thick. The good news is that some of the open spots are filling in with saplings, and with some work (mainly brushing), the corridor can be defined once again. |
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 | Name: |
Pancks and Tesco Heaney |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-07-23 |
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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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