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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Shelburne Moriah Mountain, NH
Trails
Trails: Rattle River Trail, Kenduskeag Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, June 24, 2012
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Parking for up to 10 or 12 cars, perhaps as many as 15, at the trailhead lot on US Highway 2 east of Gorham. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Easily rock-hoppable. This did not prevent me from slipping and falling into the same brook twice, both coming and going, however.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Trails are in excellent shape. Two or three puncheons are broken, but out of the 30 or 40 that this route crosses. that ain't band. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Right now, this is an excellent hike for dogs because there's plenty of water and, even better from Josie's point of view, lots of mud (mostly off-trail). There's a couple of short scrambles on the Kenduskeag Trail that could be troublesome for some dogs. Polly needed an assist up one of them.  
Bugs
Bugs: Not bad, actually, considering the reputation of the lower portion of the Rattle River Trail as a mosquito Woodstock. Up high, the wind kept all bugs at bay. Down low, black flies were a bother only if we stopped. Mosquitoes were not an issue.  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: There's been some recent work on the Rattle River Trail, particularly at the 1,850-foot elevation level where a 50-yard section has been newly dug. It looks like a mudslide took out the trail earlier in the spring.


There are some muddy bogs on the Kenduskeag Trail that probably grew overnight from the rain. They can be mostly avoided with careful sidestepping.


The Rattle River Trail from the last brook crossing at 2,000 feet elevation up to the junction with the Kenduskeag Trail at 3,300 feet is fairly steep in places, but excellent rock work makes both ascending and descending relatively easy, given the steepness of some pitches. Throughout on this trail, the rock work is superb.


Met a total 12 people today, all on the Rattle River Trail portion. One of them was an older guy who I realized later is probably a northbounder. If he is, he's the first ATC through-hiker I've run into this year.


A terrific day out with Josie (who has grown into a great hiking dog in the span of just a couple of months) and Polly. No photos, alas. My camera got dunked in the brook early in the hike and was out of commission for the duration. It should be ready for the next hike, though.  
Name
Name: The Feathered Hat 
E-Mail
E-Mail: stevebjerklie at yahoo dot com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2012-06-24 
Link
Link: https:// 
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