| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Monroe, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop Trail, Trinity Heights Connector, Gulfside Trail, Jefferson Loop Trail, Jewell Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, January 11, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
good plowed parking at the cog base. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Ice - Blue, Snow - Drifts, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
crossing on ammo trail was well snowbridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
signs at the crawford path/davis path and gulfside/cornice junctions were blown over and frozen to the ground. probably won't be able to be righted until spring. couple stepover blowdowns on jewell trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
ammo trail had a decent track created by a mix of snowshoes and skis. some exposed ice once above treeline that is generally avoidable until just below the hut where it is pretty prevalent. snow had a hard crust higher up that pushed the grip of snowshoes. a mix of hard crust, ice and wind packed powder to monroe.
to washington it was mostly blown clean to hard crust and care was needed on the first long side slope beyond the hut. crampons for sure. snowfields were all hard crust. good crampon bite, but a slip would have been a problem. fields continued to the summit then down along the cog tracks and gulfside trail. again hard crust on the verge of ice in places to the clay junction. conditions were more variable to jefferson with some loose snow and softer drifts mixed in with the ice and crust. a couple crampon worthy side slopes along clay. with the predicted rain and freeze i imagine these slopes, particularly on washington, could be sheets of ice by tomorrow. upper jewell trail blown down to crust and ice. about 3/4 down the slope is quite drifted in and i lost the trail and headed for where i knew it ducked into the trees. below treeline the trail had anywhere from a couple inches to a foot of drifted snow over a bareboot path of destruction. it got to the point that i gave up on trying to smooth it out and saved my ankles by walking along side the track where i could. mercifully this track turned onto the now closed temporary re route near the cog and i got about a tenth of nice unbroken snow back to the trailhead. i would expect this trail to be unpleasant until the next big dump of snow. water
i wore snowshoes to monroe then crampons until hitting the drifted area of jewell trail where i went back to snowshoes. there was no perfect choice of traction on the way to jefferson so i stuck with crampons to best handle the hard crusty sections. crampons may be the only choice above treeline in coming days.
a stellar day above treeline. early start to beat the descending clouds and rain predicted for late afternoon. interesting skies all day and despite the overcast there were distant views until the afternoon. wind was minimal with warm temps. never needed more than a light wind jacket. saw no one all day until i got back to the car. great to be out.
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 | Name: |
bryan |
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 | E-Mail: |
bryancuddihee@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-01-11 |
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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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