| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Monroe, Mt. Washington, Mt. Clay, Mt. Jefferson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Monroe Loop, Crawford Path, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop, Caps Ridge Trail, Jefferson Notch Road, Boundary Line Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, May 9, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked at the “summer†USFS Ammo lot and did the extra ~0.7 mile because I refuse to park at the Cog and give money to someone who wants to build a hotel high on the alpine tundra. Also I like to walk. ;-) Ours was one of two cars in a very big lot. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Only one we got our feet wet in was the crossing of Clay Brook on Boundary Line Trail, but we were almost finished by then. It was only calf deep. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Quite a few blowdowns on lower Caps Ridge Trail. Some were walk arounds; some were hands-and-knees crawl unders. On Boundary Line Trail there is a new looking bridge over a small stream that got washed down a few feet. Looks like it’s fixable! Lots of new bog bridging on BLT. Thank you! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Except for the hardiest of mountain dogs, Caps Ridge is not very dog friendly IMO. |
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 | Bugs: |
Lots of clusters of “snow bugs,†especially prominent on the snow fields of Mt. Clay. Not sure what they were. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Won’t be redundant... what Rachel said in her excellent TC report for trails we both did today.
Saw 9 or 10 skiing Great Gulf from Mt. Clay. O_O
Decided to be adventurous and descend Caps Ridge Trail. Above treeline was mostly snow free, but hey it’s Caps Ridge so was a steep, scrambly endeavor. Below treeline was a mix of ice, rotting snow, and lots of dirt. There wasn’t really a monorail since this trail doesn’t see much winter use. Wore spikes for about 1/2 mile but bare booted the rest. A bit of postholing where there were pockets of snow but not nearly enough to warrant snowshoes (which were carried all dang day but never worn - grrr...!). There are quite a few trees down and somewhat problematic go arounds and crawl unders. We encountered one other hiker on CR and saw fresh tracks of another.
Jefferson Notch Road to Boundary Line Trail (1.4 miles) was a mix of snow/ice, mud, and spongy gravel, nowhere near ready to be opened for vehicular traffic.
Boundary Line Trail was on the wet side but looked to have gotten some TLC last season, with quite a few new bog bridges. Maybe a couple of blowdowns, nothing major. We flicked a bunch of branches off the treadway. We really enjoyed this trail after the Caps Ridge acrobatics. Took a right on Jewell Trail for the final 0.4 mile to the USFS lot. Crossing of Ammonoosuc River was bridged - yay. |
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 | Name: |
Snowflea & Fancypants |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-05-09 |
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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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