| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Burton Peak, Holt Peak, Temple Mountain, Pack Monadnock, North Pack Monadnock, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Wapack Trail, view spurs, Berry Pasture Trail, Holt Peak Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 12, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We spotted a couple cars at the northern terminus of the trail on Mountain Rd in Greenfield where there is room for about a dozen normally parked cars. We then drove 15-20min to the trailhead on Temple Rd in Sharon next to its jct with Greenleaf Rd. On my iPhone’s maps app, it calls this trailhead “Sharon Ledges Trailheadâ€. All parking lots and roads are in fine shape and passable by any car. The latter trailhead is smaller though. I don’t think a dozen cars could fit there…probably not much more than a half dozen could. The guidebook calls this the Belletette parking area. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Trivial |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The Wapack Trail is blazed in yellow and generally blazed quite well. Only spots that could trip you up are view spots and/or where the old Wapack Trail went that aren’t blocked. Also, there’s at least one little reroute I remember: I think it was on the south side of the col between Pack and North Pack; there’s a flooded area of trail and there is surveyors tape to your left (if you’re northbound) marking a herd path around. I only recall one small blowdown. It was a very easy stepover. Where it was…who knows?? I think it was somewhere in the middle of the hike. So maybe near the beginning of the ascent up Pack shortly after crossing the road?! Some inconsistencies in mileage on the trail signs around here but beyond that things are signed well. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
We had one with us (leashed) that did fine. Not many water sources but otherwise a good hike for dogs. No others would seen. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Day 42, Peaks 40, 41, and 42. A bright, sunny, warm, but incredibly windy day. Started in the mid 30s. Unfortunately, the wind chill made it feel like it was consistently in the 20s the whole day.
Absolutely no snow seen. Some ice, particularly black ice you needed to watch for on rocks but this was minimal until descending down the north side of North Pack. None of us used microspikes and they would’ve been hard to use anyway as it was just a bit of black ice over rock but you still may wish to carry them. Of course with further warm weather, the ice may be gone just in time to get some more snow on Sunday ;) All the spurs needed for redlining were easy to find except perhaps the Joanne Bass Bross Memorial Scenic Outlook as 1) it’s not shown on Gaia as most of the others are, and 2) despite a large sign, it’s easy to walk by if you’re northbound. There were many spurs, some scenic and well travelled, others that seemed to lead to nowhere and fizzle out, along the way as well. Some large puddles/standing water, and minor water running down trail (usually rock) as well. Of course there was some mud to go along with that but the ground is still cold enough that there seemed to be more water than soft mud. There’s a spur to the true high point on Holt Peak. Not hard to find the high point on Pack and North Pack ;) Checked out the Boston View spur at the summit of the former. Neat to see skyscrapers so far away.
323 more days and 323 more peaks to go… |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-12-14 |
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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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