| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Monroe (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Edmands Path, Crawford Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, May 27, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Mt. Clinton Road to the trailhead is open all the way, from Route 302 all the way to the Base Road. However, there are a number of downed branches and small tree trunks on the road from the recent snow storm -- these can be driven around. There is room for about 10-12 cars at the trailhead parking area. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Water crossings were not an issue. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Given the amount of rain and snow in the past week, trails were in decent shape. Edmands Path needs some work -- some waterbars are clogged and water is back-pooling onto the trail. Also, there is one new large, walk-under blowdown (to add to the three or four from earlier trip reports, this past winter). Finally, the snow from this past weekend has created numerous "snowdowns," snapped beech tree branches across the trail, broken from the weight of the heavy, wet snow on their new leaves. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
A few annoying black flies at the parking area, but none on the trails -- a good stiff breeze up top kept them away. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Our goal today was Mt. Monroe, to check out the condition of the alpine flowers there. Given the snow from a couple of days earlier and the forecast high winds, we decided to go as far as we could and enjoy that. We made it to the Crawford Path, just below Mt. Franklin, before turning back because of the winds -- staying on our feet was becoming an issue.
Alpine flowers that we did see along the way are at least a week from blooming.
About the trails: they could use several days' time to dry out. Even the parts that were draining properly were pretty muddy with standing water, and some significant trail-widening was taking place today.
Down low, the Edmands Path was in okay shape -- needs some drying out. Some very muddy, wet patches amongst stretches of dry trail. Once the trail begins to climb, though, it's another story -- it's a flowing stream with mud, slush, and several inches of wet snow all the way until above treeline. As mentioned before, some of the waterbars are clogged, making drainage that much slower.
Above treeline, the snow becomes a bit deeper but is packed, with some sections of standing water/snowmelt. Traction was useless, given how soft the snow was.
Crawford Path is very wet, with sections of wet snow, 1-2 feet deep in places, interspersed with spongy, wet sand and wet rock.
Edmands Path was quite busy today -- we saw 15-20 people. We saw no one on the Crawford Path toward Mt. Franklin, but at least one person had been up before us.
Down low, it was a warm spring day; shorts weather. Up top, full-on winter; it was certainly worth carrying the extra gear today. We passed a number of people who turned back around treeline when the first strong winds hit.
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 | Name: |
Pancks and Tesco Heaney |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-05-28 |
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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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