| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Castle Trail, Gulfside, Airline, Valley Way |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, February 27, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Traction, Ice Axe |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossing down low on the Castle trail was impassable. We managed to bushwhack up to the first tributary, rock-hop that, and then find a decent rock-hop of the main Israel River. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Perfectly straightforward up to the Link (wore microspikes but might have been fine without); directly above, the first scramble is loose snow over slick slab, one of our party slipped and slid down the whole thing. The rest of the scrambles were straight-up rock climbing in crampons, facilitated by dry tooling and obscenity. No assistance from solid snow cover but the rock was relatively dry and free of verglas. Jefferson had some solid water ice that definitely needed crampons; much of the area around Adams would possibly be doable in microspikes. Valley Way has a surprising amount of exposed ice but light traction sufficed.
Obviously not a "recommended" winter route but we got fairly lucky with the weather (wind was such that it didn't hit us directly on the castles) and with a small, determined, and reasonably experienced team, it was a heck of a day. |
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 | Name: |
jniehof |
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 | E-Mail: |
jtniehof@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-02-28 |
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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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