| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Washington, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, April 10, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Minor streams are still bridged. Major stream higher up has a narrow snow bridge with a steep climb on the other side |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Small blowdown before the gem pool. Easy to get by. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The Ammo trail had a variety of trail conditions today – packed powder, some slush, ice, ice with water running over it.. The snow depth throughout was 2-3’. It was borderline slushy at the beginning but given the early hour was pretty solid to the Gem pool. I changed from spikes to full crampons here since I knew more traction would be needed plus the crampons have anti balling plates. Despite this I did slide a few times even with the crampons (Black Diamond Contacts). The trail above the gem pool was a little loose in places but saw minimal postholes. The snow bridge across the stream higher up was only about 2 feet wide with a steep uphill section coming down to crossing. Above treeline there are numerous tracks that take one to the hut. I tried to follow the correct trail from the hut when descending but it disappeared. At this point I took a sharp right down to the field of multiple tracks coming up. Unfortunately I missed the track I came up on and soon found myself carefully navigating down the falls – many skiers had come up this way. The only good thing about this was I did not have to do the steep section to the stream crossing. All other streams of significance are still bridged but may not last much longer as the temp was in the 60’s on the trail and 73 at the trailhead when I returned.
The Crawford Path had a few surprises. The two Lakes in the Clouds were one giant skating rink. Some distance beyond the first trail intersection I lost the trail but eventually rejoined it later on. There were numerous snow drafts along its length to the final summit cone with bare rock and ice. A lot of melting going on given the intense sun and warm temperatures. Coming back I followed the cairns carefully and at one point reached a 800+ foot section where both trail and cairns were buried under a snow field. Only saw 3 or 4 hikers the entire day. We were vastly outnumbered by snowboarders and skiers.
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 | Name: |
dexhiker |
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 | E-Mail: |
dexpcdoc@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-04-10 |
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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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