| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Pierce, Eisenhower, Mt. Monroe, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Crawford Path, Webster Cliff Trail, Eisenhower Loop, Monroe Loop, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop, Randolph Path, Lowe's Path, The Link |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 21, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at entry to HC; Appalachia lot empty but for one vehicle |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
N.A. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blow downs, all easily bypassed; Randolph Path and Link need some serious brushing |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Bad conditions for dogs on the Presi traverse until boilerplate ice softens |
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 | Bugs: |
N.A. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
N.A. |
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|
 | Comments: |
Made vehicle key exchange with PVSART friend who arrived at summit of Washington from Appalachia same time that I did from Highland Center. Temperatures remained in single digits or low teens most of the day, with clouds lifting and 30-40 mph winds dying to 10-20 mph by early afternoon. Bare-booted by rock hopping all the way from HC to LOC hut. Frozen snowfields above LOC hut and north of Jefferson probably warranted crampons and were sketchy with spikes. Ice ax would have been nice to have in these two places, but once these snowfields soften with sun should not be a problem.
I bailed out on Randolph Path, which was a mistake, as no doubt could have tagged Adams and Madison and still reached friend's vehicle at Appalachia in less time. Lots of post-holing on sun-warmed Randolph Path, as snowshoes kept sliding me off sideways on this contour trail. So, could have done without the snowshoes, but they will be handy once the snowpack softens, as there is still lots of snow up high.
Water ice has built up to just below the first floor windows on the north side of LOC hut. The water ice on the trails was boilerplate, bullet-proof, choose your adjective; fortunately, there are enough bare rocks exposed to hop back and forth across the trails and avoid most of the water ice.
Same PVSART friend repeated same N-S traverse next day with another friend in even more difficult conditions (i.e., harder water ice, colder, higher winds, etc.); Presi traverse not for the faint-hearted at the moment. |
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 | Name: |
HFKA Dr. D. |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-04-23 |
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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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