NewEnglandTrailConditions.com
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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Clay, Mt. Washington, Mt. Monroe, Mt. Franklin, Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Pierce, NH
Trails
Trails: Valley Way, Osgood Trail, Star Lake Trail, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop, Clay Loop, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Franklin Loop, Eisenhower Loop, Webster Cliff Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes:  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Blue, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Slush 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction, Goggles, Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Not many - all easy. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: The signs at the junctions between Gulfside and the Cornice and between Crawford Path and Southside trail are down.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Valley Way + Osgood to Madison should be okay. Crawford Path from Crawford Notch to Eisenhower as well. The rest has lots of ice, crusted snow - some with ice glazing and is pretty difficult. Star Lake is outright dangerous and so is the steep angled snowfield between Lake of the Clouds Hut and Washington. No pups on the trail today.  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Georg and I had the Presidentials to ourselves today. The only other person that we saw was a skier on Mt. Washington summit before he headed down Tuckerman's Ravine. We were in and out of the clouds until Lake of the Clouds Hut but visibility was never an issue. The wind was strong all day and we had trouble keeping our balance on Madison and Adams but the rest was manageable.

We encountered pretty much any trail condition possible at this time of year. Lower part of Valley way is icy and we had the microspikes on after less than 100 yards. They were perfect all the way to Madison and back to the hut. We chose the Star Lake trail to Adams assuming (correctly it seemed) that it would offer better protection against the wind.

Microspikes are insufficient for this trail and we quickly switched to Hillsounds (trail crampons) and they were perfect for the job. We kept them on until descending Eisenhower where we switched to snowshoes - good for dealing with the deeper and softer snow between Eisenhower and the Crawford path-Webster Cliff junction. We kept the snowshoes on for the rest of the hike. There is good snow coverage right to the end of Crawford path and it was getting soft in the afternoon but this section could have been barebooted.  
Name
Name: LongMark 
E-Mail
E-Mail: perfrost@yahoo.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2013-04-17 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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