Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Fisher Mountain, NH |
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| Trails: |
Forest Road 23, Forest Road 23A, Forest Road 23C, unnamed trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, July 14, 2019 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
At the junction of Forest Road 23 and Mill Brook Road in Thornton. There's room here for a few cars without blocking the gate. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
One small brook crossing upon leaving the forest roads, easily crossed. |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The forest roads are grassy and weedy. Lots of minor blowdowns on the footpath, most of them easy stepovers. I removed three that were impeding travel. Once out on the ledges, the old blazes are still present and there are now a lot more cairns than my last visit. When descending the huge slab and exiting at the bottom, there are some cairns that could be confusing if you aren't familiar with the route. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
I saw one, but be aware of a crevasse shortly below the summit that would be difficult to get a dog out of. |
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| Bugs: |
I picked up one tick on the forest roads. Otherwise, bugs weren't too bad and finally having some wind helped. |
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| Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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| Comments: |
Easy walking along the forest roads, right at the first fork, left at the second fork, then just head straight into the woods. The footpath was dry. The footbed is a bit obscure once it leaves the old continuation of Forest Road 23C.
The ledges had a bit of water in some unfortunate spots, but otherwise there was enough dry ledge to walk on. I bushwhacked around the short section where the trail leaves the huge slab at the top as that stretch was wet moss on a steeply sloping ledge. From that point the route gets very steep almost all the way to the summit.
Speaking of the summit, the prominent cairn where the trail appears to end is not the high point. From there, a herd path drops down a ledge behind the cairn, turns right, then runs several yards to the true summit and exact spot elevation shown on the USGS. There is also a cairn here.
I didn't expect to see anyone, but two people and their dog passed me on the way up and continued on to Hogback Mountain. I could see them over on the Hogback ledges from Fisher. They reported bushwhack conditions were fairly thick between the two peaks.
This is a fantastic hike and super scenic with the excellent views and oceans of ledge of neighboring Welch / Dickey without the crowds. Do NOT attempt this hike in wet conditions. The upper ledges are super steep and not a place you want to slip. You'll be sliding for a very loooooong time. |
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| Name: |
KenM |
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| E-Mail: |
kmacgray@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-07-14 |
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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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