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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Vose Spur, NH
Trails
Trails: Signal Ridge Trail, Carrigain Notch Trail, bushwhack
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, June 15, 2019
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Sawyer River Road was fine. Good size lot. About 8-10 cars at 7 am (there was a camping group). Fairly full lot at 1:30, although there are opportunities for improvised parking. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: One crossing just high enough to wet the bottom of the boots even with the rocks. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes:  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs: Not too bad overall. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Fair amount of mud on Signal Ridge including some longer and deeper sections -- once went in up to the lower calf. One more significant water crossing has rocks in the water, bit some were covered an inch deep. A couple more inches and it gets problematic

I met another hiker, K, near Bushwhack Boulder and we did the bushwhack together. From the boulder, went to the birch log and took an obvious herd path WNW, as opposed to another typical route that is more straight west. Fairly steep but woods were not too dense. Someone had put in pink flags which could be seen occasionally. On the ridge, found the obvious herd path and took a right. Gets steeper up to the talus field. People often say you go across the talus, which makes it sound like it's level, but it's fairly steep up. Rocks are somewhat stable, but patience is required, even more down. As often noted, above the talus it's wicked steep, sometimes requiring grabbing roots to pull up, but the herd path is mostly straightforward to the summit. Canister did not want to open.

The descent is hard -- much of it is grabbing onto trees and hoping they are not zombies. I fell on the butt about 6 times in the part above the talus, usually where it was steep dirt without trees to grab. We found it much harder to follow the herd path going down and had to redirect several times and occasionally fight through blowdowns and general thickness. I wore a pair of boots that was near the end of its time days, and this hike ripped them up in the few places, so now retired. As I found on Scar Ridge, it seems easier to follow a herd path up than down, probably because the herd path is more at eye level going up. Took about 3:40 to go 1.9 miles on the bushwhack, longer that it took for the 6.8 miles to/from the boulder. Definitely helped having another hiker.  
Name
Name: MAD 
E-Mail
E-Mail: madiener@hotmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2019-06-16 
Link
Link: https:// 
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