Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mowglis Mountain, Hanging Rocks, Cilley's Cave, Soup Bowl Glide, NH |
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| Trails: |
Carter-Gibbs Trail, Elwell Trail, Mowglis Trail, Hanging Rock Spur Trail, old Hanging Rock Spur Trails, Cilley's Cave herd path, Groton-Orange Road, Province Road, bushwhack |
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| Date of Hike: |
Saturday, October 12, 2019 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at Hardy Country Rd (.7mi up from Sculptured Rocks Rd) - I parked roadside but there was nobody else there. Trail sign for Carter-Gibbs Trail is prominent but quite small. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
all easily rock-hoppable |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Most trails I was on had almost no visible footbed due to leaves but most were well-blazed. No sign for Hanging Rock spur path. There is also no longer any trail marker for Cilley's Cave but it's still easy to find. I did not see a trail marker for Mowglis Trail at the big log landing at the top of the Groton-Orange Rd. Groton-Orange Rd was (as usual) extremely rutted from ATV usage. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
didn't see any |
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| Bugs: |
a few near the brooks |
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| Lost and Found: |
nothing |
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| Comments: |
Carter-Gibbs Trail, Elwell Trail, Mowglis Trail, Hanging Rock Spur Trail, unmaintained/closed Hanging Rock Spur Trails, Cilley's Cave herd path, Groton-Orange Road, Province Road, bushwhack up Dane Brook
Terrific day - around 11.5 miles for this loop. Saw a BIGLY group of people on the beaver pond overlook near Mowglis but that was it for anybody else today. Really pretty.
NOTE: my objective was the old trail around/under Hanging Rocks. After re-studying the 24th edition of the White Mountain Guide (1987), I realized it could be explored without ladders/ropes which is what earlier guides had suggested. The 24th edition was pretty accurate: "Hanging Rocks is an interesting glacial formation that forms a natural shelter. About 100 yds from the Mowglis Trail the spur forks. The right fork leads 0.1 mi across the top of the ledge, with a fine view east, and the left fork descends 0.1 mi among the rocks at the foot of the ledge. There is a steep connecting link at the far end of these paths." I recommend taking the left path for descent. I paced off about 100 yards and headed down near a big birch tree. There are lots of blowdowns and "holes" between the big chunks of rock so you have to be careful. At the bottom, there is a faint path under the overhang - it is quite impressive. You can crawl in amongst the lower boulders. At the far end, there is a big step up - i used a sapling to pull myself up. Then, the path kind of disappears and reappears in places, but, it's quite easy to find a way up away from the dropoff. It is quite steep getting back up but once above that big step, it was very doable.
From Hanging Rock, I headed back to re-check out Cilley's Cave - all things good there. Nice views back to Hanging Rocks. Then, I headed out via the Groton-Orange Rd. Around 1100' I cut in to Atwell Brook to look for Soup Bowl Glide - I'm pretty sure I found it but there is a HUGE pile of tree debris from the earlier brook blowout from the intense rains. Then, back down to the road - I walked a bit less than a mile and then turned up Dane Brook - very open woods along the stream - really incredible granite bowls in there! Once back up a half mile, I cut across the log landing where I had parked my car. |
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| Name: |
Becca Munroe |
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| E-Mail: |
beccahiker@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-10-12 |
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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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