| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Hitchcock, NH |
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 | Trails: |
East Side Trail, bushwhack, Pine Island Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 18, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
water crossings on east side trail and pine island trail were not an issue today. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
east side trail was dry and in good shape minus the damage done by irene. i hiked a few minutes past the northern pine island junction then took to the woods headed roughly east towards the summit of north hitchcock. nice open hard woods until around 2k then a band of spruce before returning to hardwoods across a broad plateau. after a couple hundred more vertical the woods got scrappier, but never too bad. i hit the ridge a couple tenths south of the summit which is where it got interesting with thick growth and blowdown dominating. dropping off the ridge to the west was somewhat helpful for a bit, but then i got back on and just pushed through arriving at a clear cut with a wooden deck (helicopter landing pad) and nearby solar panel and radio antenna. i knew this was up there, but still interesting to see in person. the highpoint is a bit north of this cleared area. for the descent i headed directly off the summit to the west finding that by slabbing north i remained in much nicer woods. i could only go so far north without getting too far off track and eventually turned back to the west going through one nasty stretch before getting into open woods the rest of the way back to east side trail crossing over some minor ridges and pretty drainages along the way. pine island trail was in nice shape. some great work was done re routing and getting that trail opened again after ts irene.
a beautiful day in the woods. got worked pretty hard in the last .5 or so to the summit, but ended up having a pretty nice descent through great woods. some good views to franconia ridge and owls head from the helicopter platform at the summit and some limited looks to other surrounding peaks. nice walk along the pemi on pine island trail stopping to check out all the views from the river bank along the way. great to be out.
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 | Name: |
bryan |
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 | E-Mail: |
bryancuddihee@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-05-18 |
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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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