| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mahoosuc Arm, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Notch Trail, Mahoosuc Trail, May Cutoff, Speck Pond Trail, Success Pond Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Success Pond Rd was better than I've seen it in the past, but I would still took it slowly in a car up to the AT Trailhead. After that I jumped in with Don in his pickup and it was an easy drive the rest of the way. On the Notch side road the first bridge was fine; the second a bit eroded on one end, so we parked in a wide area before that bridge and did the short walk to the TH. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Blue, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rock hops for the humans, nice wading for Pepper. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No significant problems; easy to follow; signs fine. The Mahoosuc Notch had lots of nice footbeds; it suffered some from Irene I would guess, but it's still better than most trails. Mahoosuc up from the Notch had some wet and rooty ledges, but the rock crystals aren't slippery. May Cutoff was muddy, wet and fortunately short and not used a lot. It could use a few more bog bridges. Speck Pond also had some wet ledges and a bit of mud up high, but its middle and lower sections were very nice. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Pepper had a surprisingly easy time of it. He figured out early on he could find a way under the boulders in most cases, and around in others, and often would just appear ahead of us waiting. A handful of times he had no choice but to go over some difficult boulders and I would scramble to spot him, but when I got into position he would jump and pull himself up before I could give him a good butt shove or hold. It was key that the boulders were dry. He also had to rely on his years of experience and his powerful frame. As the Guide says, this is not a hike most dogs would enjoy. There was plenty of water on all trails, which made for some fine sippin and dippin. |
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 | Bugs: |
Some black flies down low, and a few on the Arm when he stopped for lunch, but on the whole they were not a factor. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I had been concerned about Pepper in the notch, figuring I might have to do some carrying and keep him under wraps. But luckily I ran into Sunshine last weekend and she said Romeo had gotten through it without problems on his AT hike, so I decided to let Pepper pretty much make his own choices and he did well. I think his small size was a big plus; he found routes most of the time that went under or around instead of over, and when he went over he was easy to spot.
We had a great day for this hike which allowed me to redline between May Cutoff and the Notch trail. We found a handful of ice patches to walk on. The only other hikers we saw were 7 SOBOs who were fun to chat with and a trail maintainer for Speck Pond going up. Thanks to Don who drove us to the trail head and provided excellent company. Redlining has been a blast. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-07-13 |
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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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