| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Chocorua, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Piper Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 19, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
No WMNF day pass envelopes in the box at the parking lot, put a note explaining this on my dash and did not have a ticket, so either they didn't ticket me or didn't stop by on a busy, beautiful Saturday(hard to believe). |
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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: |
Chocorua river and streams were flowing well, but all had wooden bridges and were an easy walk across. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail is in excellent shape for first 3 miles or so. Evidence of recent trail maintenance work to drain water off the trail and lots of steps, both wooden and rock. Last mile had some blowdowns but nothing you couldn't easily avoid. Blazes on the last part to the summit were a bit faded and sometimes hard to spot. Also the trail right out of the parking lot was a little hard to find the very faded blazes. Trail junctions were well marked and very easy to identify. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a pair with 2 women about halfway up who sounded like they were turning around shortly. A few dogs at the summit, even prompting some barking from one, not something you expect to see at a summit! Some of those rock climbs in the final ascent require 2 people to lift dog and hand off. |
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 | Bugs: |
Not too bad for the bottom 2 miles. Summit was downright buggy. Nothing was really biting though. A few in my ear and mouth all day but not really more than a nuisance. Maybe 1 or 2 bites, did not use any bug spray. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A few muddy spots but nothing that was not avoidable. This after 2 dry days before our hike, with rain earlier in the week. The trail dries pretty fast. The part in the middle and final ascent over bare rock would be near impossible in wet weather/ice. It was hard enough scrambling up on dry rock. We lost the blazes on our final 50' of ascent and probably made a few moves where we should have been on ropes. The way down via the faded blazes was better.
Busy day at the summit with about 20 or so when we arrived at 12:30. Disturbing the peace 10 minutes behind us was a large group of 20 and then a group of 15-20 young boy scouts. Despite around 50 people at the summit there is a ton of open space to spread out onto and find a quiet view for lunch. The actual summit with the USGS marker can only hold up to 10 people or so. Absolutely spectacular 360 degree views at the summit. Despite the crowded summit we only saw a few groups of 2-4 people each way.
Don't let the short 4.2 mile distance fool you, you will work hard to get to the top and do some rock scrambling but the views are amazing. |
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 | Name: |
Andrew |
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 | E-Mail: |
ak3883 at gmail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-05-20 |
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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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