| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sachum Peak, Acteon Ridge, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Smarts Brook Trail, bushwhack, herd path, Ledges herd path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, October 25, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lot 1/2 full max |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All easy hops and utilized the bridge on Pine flats trail. Also found the loveliest hole for a dip :) |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
N/A |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw 1 on the summit of Sachum wowsies |
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 | Bugs: |
N/A |
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 | Lost and Found: |
N/A |
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 | Comments: |
This started as a redline hike (I hit 80%) and my first official hike as a gridiot, yeah baby!! Smarts brook trail is pretty much an old road for the first 2 miles then quickly becomes a mix of knobby leafy meandering and flat swampy puddles on the flats up to and above the wilderness boundary until climbing outta the drainage at 2500'. Quickly becomes much steeper and the leaves mercifully stop coating the entire ground above 2800'. Tagged the height of land and junction for Sandwich Dome trail, then turned around. Between views of Sachum on the climb and my eternal desires to not do out-and-backs whenever possible, hung a hard right into the forest at 2900'. Contoured thru a mix of open and mealy spruce forest into the Sachum-Jennings col and then picked up a rough herd path just north of the summit at the base of the ledges. I could hear voices for awhile and mild shock to meet 3 people and a dog on the summit next to the canister!!
Rough braided herd path stays just north of the ridge down across to the lower western summit before dropping off the ledges steeply into the forest. Becomes much more whacky and a braided NW line thru a mixed spruce forest with a goal of angling just north of the bumpy ridge down into the col. Some really massive lichen piles on a few outcrops and a cluster of beech trees in the swampy col. Angled up switching back and forth up the grade NW before picking the herd path back up a short ways below and east of the canister. From here it becomes a much more defined herd path and insanely leafy. Got to practice my slalom skills on the descent down and across the marvelous lichen outcrops on the ridge. Popped out at a semi Stonehenge benches on the Ledges trail (primarily a mtn biking trail) went left and followed it down to the Pine flats bridge. A short stroll back out Smarts brook trail to the car |
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 | Name: |
Heat Lightning |
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 | E-Mail: |
ecs@mountainlogworks.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-10-25 |
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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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