| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bear Mountain - East Peak, Wheeler Mountain, Black Mountain (Newry), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Ski trails, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, September 19, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked near the Jordan hotel at Sunday River. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
A few marshy areas in the cols, but no brooks of significance. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Minimal |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We ascended the work road up the Lollapalooza ski trail (also signed as a hiking route), then bailed into the woods just above 2,900 feet. We held that contour for awhile (avoiding reported thickness on Black) in okay woods, then descended into the first col. A little more rugged thereafter (some cliffy areas, some slightly thicker stick forest), over a few small subpeaks of East Bear. We went west of the recognized summit of East Bear to what the USGS shows as a higher contour, but it seemed like the recognized summit is correct.
We then backtracked to the East Bear-Black col, then slabbed over to the Black-Wheeler col, sometimes old skidder and four wheeler trails. Decent woods in places, scrappy stick forest in others. The final ascent was fairly open with lots of moss.
We then descended to the Wheeler-Black col, noting a view of the back of Sunday River (Barker) on the east side of the col. A little scrappier thereafter up to black with a few random wooded ledges, but not terrible.
From the recognized summit of Black, we headed northeast on the ridge to the top of the Oz chairlift (not the one that serves Lollapalooza), which was scrappy in places, but not the end of the world. From the top of Oz, we took a more gradual descent down Kansas (marked as a hiking trail) and Cyclone (not mowed) to State Fair (work road).
Though the foliage is still mostly green, lots of trees are starting to turn.
Did not see a single person on the trails (or obviously the bushwhack). Really nice late summer weather with sunny skies and temperatures perhaps topping off in the low 70s.
Support liberty. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-09-19 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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