| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Smarts Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Quinttown Road, Mousley Brook Road, Daniel Doan Trail, J Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, March 30, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Quinntown road was dry except for a brief muddy section. However, just before the J/Kodak parking there is a large hump in the ground that will strike the undercarriage of low-clearance vehicles. Mousley brook road and the Daniel Doan parking were in good shape. I don't believe water from the Spring thaw reaches the roads, so rut and mud issues only arise after rain. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Crossed Mousley brook with four baby-steps, two of which were on slightly submerged rocks. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Nothing of note on Daniel Doan. A few recent small blowdowns on the J trail. One larger blowdown about a quarter of a mile from the bridge over Jacobs brook. It is a walk under that could use delimbing.
Trail maintainers have done a good job of channeling water to one side of the Daniel Doan trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw a few butterflies. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Originally intended to go up Lambert ridge trail, but the lot was too muddy, so parked at the J/Kodak lot, road walked to the Daniel Doan trailhead, then went up Doan and down the J trail.
Doan was surprisingly dry until after the Mousley brook crossing at mile 1.9 when patchy snow appeared. A quarter mile more, at about 2200', snowshoes went on. Except for the tower spur, they stayed until 2/3 down the J trail. Warm day, but it had been in the low 20s the night before, so the snow was plenty firm for snowshoes. On the steepest parts of Doan there were small patches of ice. Single one-way down post-hole tracks were evident over the last mile on Doan, but since the trail is wide they weren't a hindrance.
However, post-holes were more annoying in the J trail. The holes were deeper, over a longer period (2-2.5 miles) and the narrower trail made dodging the ankle-breakers harder.
Until warm weather sufficiently softens up the postholes I wouldn't recommend the J trail.
Didn't see anyone, which wasn't surprising for an afternoon start on a weekday. |
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 | Name: |
Al S |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-03-30 |
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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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