| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Cascade Mountain, Trident Col Tentsite, Wocket Ledge, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Centennial Trail, Mahoosuc Trail, Trident Col Tentsite Spur, Peabody Brook Trail, Giant Falls Spur, Hogan Road, North Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 12, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at the junction of Hogan and North Roads. There seemed to be plenty of room for 4-5 cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
A bit tricky crossing the Page Pond outlet. Got one snowshoe a bit wet on the tail end. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Usual blowdown situation for January. Most problematic is near Dream Lake - a larger spruce lengthwise in the trail that required some interesting footwork to negotiate. This whole section of Mahoosuc/Appalachian Trail needs blazing. From Mt. Hayes to Cascade Mtn., I saw zero white blazes. There is, however, a bunch of disintegrating orange surveyor tape to guide the way. (Hmm... pretty sure the AT is supposed to have 2x6" white blazes and not surveyor tape, but whatever.) From Cascade Mtn. to Page Pond there were maybe 4 or 5 white blazes. More of an issue in the open hardwoods obviously; in the spruce-fir trail was evident. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Kind of deep snow and lots of critter tracks up there |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw a snow spider and another cold-tolerant insect of some sort |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Snowshoes all the way. Lower 1 to 1.5 miles of Centennial and Peabody Brook Trails are probably better in spikes as there is only a couple inches of snow. However, correctly anticipating lots of snowshoeing/trail breaking higher up, I left my spikes in the car and did not regret doing so. Trail was completely unbroken from halfway up Centennial to Bald Cap Peak Ledges Spur, almost 8 miles.
Centennial Trail had some old tracks for the first 1.5 miles or so. I lost the trail for a little bit after the first bump w/ view but re-found it with the aid of GPS. A couple of icy scrambles in this section.
Heading to Cascade Mtn., lots of open hardwoods but thanks to surveyor tape not much difficulty following trail. Snow 5-6" in depth. Some tricky, icy, tree-grabbing spots. Did the Trident Col Tentsite Spur, including the tentsite w/ a view which looks west to some impressive little cliffs and ice formations. Privy needs a new broom.
Continuing on to Page Pond... a bit more route finding in the open hardwood sections w/ some VERY faded, almost indiscernible "blazes." Wocket Wedge packed a punch. More icy, scrambly, tree grabbing here. Tree holding sign to viewpoint is on the ground.
Snow got deeper around Dream Lake, sometimes a foot deep. Mahoosuc Trail was a beautiful winter wonderland, but by now I was happy to take a right on Peabody Brook Trail. More deeper snow and lots of puncheon to negotiate around the lake.
Upon reaching Bald Cap Peak Ledges Trail (which I have already done in winter and did not redo this day), I came upon tracks of the bareboot brigade. Ugh. The trail was kind of a mess from here down, but I did what I could to smooth it out with one pair of snowshoes. The ladder/staircase on Peabody Brook Trail was a little tricky: each step was covered in ice as were the lower "handrails." With snowshoes on, I faced in and descended verrry carefully.
Visited Giant Falls on the way out, just before the sun set. Rest of hike out and road walk were aided by the light of the Wolf Moon. This was a lovely, solitary hike in the rugged Mahoosucs, where even "the easy end" is not easy.
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 | Name: |
Snowflea |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-01-13 |
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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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