1HappyHiker
Well-known member
The goal for this hike was for my hiking buddy Steve to redline the Parapet Trail, but it was also an adventure undertaken just for the pure fun of it! This was a loop which began on the Great Gulf Trail. We eventually joined the Madison Gulf Trail to hook up with the Parapet Trail. We used the Daniel Webster Scout Trail as our descent route. We could have ended the loop at the same trailhead where we began our trek by incorporating the Great Gulf Link Trail. However, we opted to spot a car in the Dolly Copp Campground (trailhead for the Daniel Webster Scout Trail).
Click HERE for some snapshots and narrative about this trek.
Trail Conditions:
Great Gulf Trail from trailhead to junction with Madison Gulf Trail: Overall, the trail was in very good shape. There were the usual wet/muddy segments between the Osgood Trail and the Osgood Cut-Off. There were no issues with the un-bridged crossing of Parapet Brook (just before the junction with the Madison Gulf Trail).
Madison Gulf Trail: All the brook crossings were very manageable, and there were no muddy sections of any consequence. However, there were numerous blowdowns along this trail. Some were more of a nuisance than others, but they all could be negotiated in one manner or another.
Parapet Trail: Other than passing through some scrub here and there, this trail is predominately above tree-line and so there were no issues with blowdowns. There are no water crossings. The footing is poor on large segments of this trail due to huge chunks of uneven talus. However, that's just the unchangeable, inherent nature of this trail.
Daniel Webster Scout Trail: Somewhat similar to the Parapet Trail, there is poor footing on the upper portion of this trail (for nearly a mile) due to huge chunks of uneven talus, and it's complicated by the fact that the trail is steep (whereas the Parapet Trail is more or less flat). However, once you're finally past the talus, the grade of the trail becomes very moderate and the footing is very good. There were no issues with brook crossings. There were several blowdowns, however all could be negotiated in one way or the other.
Special Equipment Required:
No special equipment was required.
Click HERE for some snapshots and narrative about this trek.
Trail Conditions:
Great Gulf Trail from trailhead to junction with Madison Gulf Trail: Overall, the trail was in very good shape. There were the usual wet/muddy segments between the Osgood Trail and the Osgood Cut-Off. There were no issues with the un-bridged crossing of Parapet Brook (just before the junction with the Madison Gulf Trail).
Madison Gulf Trail: All the brook crossings were very manageable, and there were no muddy sections of any consequence. However, there were numerous blowdowns along this trail. Some were more of a nuisance than others, but they all could be negotiated in one manner or another.
Parapet Trail: Other than passing through some scrub here and there, this trail is predominately above tree-line and so there were no issues with blowdowns. There are no water crossings. The footing is poor on large segments of this trail due to huge chunks of uneven talus. However, that's just the unchangeable, inherent nature of this trail.
Daniel Webster Scout Trail: Somewhat similar to the Parapet Trail, there is poor footing on the upper portion of this trail (for nearly a mile) due to huge chunks of uneven talus, and it's complicated by the fact that the trail is steep (whereas the Parapet Trail is more or less flat). However, once you're finally past the talus, the grade of the trail becomes very moderate and the footing is very good. There were no issues with brook crossings. There were several blowdowns, however all could be negotiated in one way or the other.
Special Equipment Required:
No special equipment was required.
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