| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Monroe, Mt. Washington, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Trinity Heights Connector, Jewell Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, April 5, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Both winter lots were usable without problems although they are snow surfaced still. Access road is clear pavement. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All bridged today. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No significant blockages, a couple easily handled blowdowns. The upper parts of Ammo and Jewell have no discernible footpath. In the case of Ammo, which was mostly a packed snowboard route all the way up to treeline today, there were many braided ski and foot paths in the highest sections; but the snow was solid enough for snowshoes and small dogs so we just headed up straight to the Hut. In the case of upper Jewell, the snow is less consolidated with drifts, and snowshoes are very advantageous without a path, and even then one might find a spruce-fir trap. On Crawford Path the snowfields were crusty snow with a bit of drift, so they were not a risk today. In the upper sections of Crawford on Washington, we skipped the trail and just went up the crusty snowfields in a more direct if steeper route. Going down Gulfside to Jewell we stayed along the Cog tracks until around Westside, to avoid the ice pockets on Gulfside by the Gulf. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Pretty easy day for Pepper. He doesn't mind the wind much and except for Upper Jewell he had a great pawpath. We met only one other hiker and a few skiers so he was pretty free to set his own pace. The downhill on Jewell was fast. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I put on the MSRs as soon as I got on the trail, and they provided great traction on a crusty snowboarded surface. Very easy hiking up. At Gem I put the televators up until the hut; they were great. I used them to go up and down Monroe; spikes would have worked too. I put Hillsounds on at the Hut for the snowfields, but the MSRs would have worked too and provided better traction more often. I put MSRs on at Jewell and used them to the Base Station. The upper sections of Jewell above treeline were not consolidated as it was over on Crawford, and below treeline there was lots of powder making for a great snowshoe although at roughly 3600' it increasingly added some crustiness and further down with warmer temps it packed down well under the snowshoes.
It was a great winter hike with a Spring drive home. It was blowing around 50 on Mt. Washington, but the alcove provided almost complete protection. The Lake of the Clouds Hut did as well, with a warm sun too. I never put on a wind parka; I just added a balaclava to the usual winter layers. Even before reaching treeline the wind was greatly reduced. We had a brief flurry of snow just for fun. These last winter hikes have just been superb, easy on the feet, pretty comfy and great scenic. Thanks again Pepper for getting me out of the office and on to the trails. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-04-05 |
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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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