| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Black Mountain - Middle Peak (Jackson), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bald Land Trail, East Pasture Trail, Black Mountain Ski Trail, Black Mountain Cutoff |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, October 27, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Dirt parking area at the top of Black Mountain Road in Jackson could fit a dozen vehicles. I was the only one there. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All crossings had snowmobile bridges. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There are no trail signs here at all until just below the summit of Black Mountain. There's no sign for Bald Land Trail at the trailhead (though there is a sign for East Pasture Trail), and there are no signs at all where Bald Land Trail diverges from East Pasture Trail. There's also no sign where East Pasture Trail diverges left off the dirt road, though there are blue diamonds on trees visible from the junction. All trail junctions within a half-mile radius of the summit of Black Mountain had nice, new-looking signs. East Pasture Trail had significant wet, muddy areas, which didn't really surprise me since it is a XC-ski trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I guess, but there's one section of East Pasture Trail that goes along an active cow pasture where cows were grazing today. Dogs should be leashed there, and should also be prevented from barking so as not to startle or upset the cows. |
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 | Bugs: |
None. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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|
 | Comments: |
This was a quick hike up to Black Mountain to redline Black Mountain Cutoff, and to also hike East Pasture Trail, which is mentioned in the WMG and shown on the map but strangely isn't on the redlining spreadsheet. I thought that was weird.
Anyway, there's a sign for East Pasture Trail at the trailhead but no sign for Bald Land Trail. Since I knew they coincided at the start, I headed up. As mentioned above, there was no sign for Bald Land Trail where it diverged from East Pasture Trail. The rest of the climb up East Pasture Trail was easy to moderate, and there were some wet and muddy sections but nothing was too bad. About a quarter-mile below the summit of the knob of Black Mountain, there was a well-signed junction where East Pasture Trail diverged left onto a narrower and steeper path where another wide XC-ski trail continued straight ahead and descended slightly. Following the loop over and around Black Mountain was easy. It's also easy to see why this Black Mountain was removed from the 52WAV list - views from the top of the knob are quite limited.
Didn't see anyone else on the trails. Conditions were cloudy, and windy near the top, but luckily no rain. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-10-27 |
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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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