| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams, Mt. Madsion, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Caps Ridge Trail, Jefferson Loop, Gulfside, Lowe's Path, Airline, Osgood Trail, Valley Way |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, December 8, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Jefferson Notch road was still open. As it is unmaintained, it is icy/snowy for much of the length from Valley Rd. off Rt. 2 all the way to the Cog base station road. Not sure when they will close that road for the season, might be soon. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Small crossings on Valley Way open, but easily crossed on rocks. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One good sized blowdown on Valley Way at the junction of the Lower Bruin Trail. Snowpack will help getting around/over it, and it might be there until spring. A few other step overs along the way down to Appalachia, a few feet of snow will cover them. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Took advantage of a good forecast and that Jefferson Notch Road was still open for a hike the Northern Presis. Caps Ridge was snow down low, a mix of rock and ice on the caps. Light traction was sufficient as the ice had enough bite and there was enough snow/ice to avoid the spike dulling rock. Once on the summit cone of Jefferson, light traction not absolutely necessary, as there was plenty of bare rocks for rock hopping. The Jefferson snowfield has had enough traffic for a track to form, although it looked like a few individuals went a little higher up for some sledding opportunities. Mostly the trip from Jefferson through Madison Hut was a mix of rock/snow/ice, traction helpful in some places, but in some places would only get the spikes dull. We took the spikes on and off at various points. Osgood to Madison only had snow in the first section of scrub, beyond that not enough snow and ice to make traction necessary. Valley Way had a good coating of snow/ice, so we traction was used from the hut until about a mile from Appalachia. After that it was just frozen ground and icy leaves.
The day started out with the summits in the clear and the clouds coming in from the west. By the time we got to Jefferson, the clouds had completely socked the region in, with everything above 5000 feet or so above the cloud layer, briefly saw Lafayette in the distance a few times. Made for an absolutely gorgeous undercast and spectacular views all day, but you'd probably never know it from ground level. An awesome day above treeline made even better by hiking with the great duo of Schorman and LadyDi. |
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 | Name: |
Sbanks |
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 | E-Mail: |
summersetbanks@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-12-09 |
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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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