| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Monroe, Mt. Washington, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, snowfields, Crawford Path, Cog Rail Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, November 18, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Cog hiker lot is $10 (self serve kiosk). USFS lot is plowed. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
On Ammo, pool crossing was solid, 2nd open but hoppable, and 3rd snowbridged. Cog Rail Trail has a bridge. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Some blowdowns disappearing into the snowpack. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
If you're up in this part of the Presis right now without snowshoes, you should be responsible for paying your rescue expenses.
Ammo up to the pool was bony in places with some slush. We were able to snowshoe, but one could boot this stretch. Snow is about a foot deep up to this point. Once the ascent starts, the snow depth increases. There has been enough recent snow to cover the ice and most of the rock, assuming it didn't get trashed later in the day. Nearing treeline, the packed route deviates from the trail and soon there are a bunch of different routes, not well packed. Our tracks stayed kosher for the approach to the hut, whereas others were going around the other side.
Unfortunately, there were some barebooters without any snowshoes who were making a mess (both by postholing and by urinating on the trail). One commented that it was "dangerous" due to the snow depths. Also got a bunch of second hand smoke from someone hiking with smoking cigarettes.
The snowpack on this side is already nearing mid winter depths in places. We were able to pretty close to beeline from the hut to Monroe without trampling vegetation.
The initial Crawford Path route from the hut is way off, with barebooters walking up the shore of one of the lakes. We followed the actual trail with snowshoes. The sideslope has already set up...the snowpack is currently grippy enough to get across, but there is no established shelf/footbed, making this potentially dangerous if we get any ice (Tuckerman Crossover avoids this no fall zone).
Climbing the cone, the deep postholes were very vexing, so we once again took a snowfield beeline to the towers. Plenty of snowpack.
From the summit, we cut down snowfields to the cog rail. We took the trail on the north side of the track, which generally gradual (a couple of no fall zones above treeline). A few areas of thin base with rocks poking through, but it had been skied today. Unfortunately, it was also postholed. Near the bottom, there is an underpass to get onto the southern side of the tracks and then down to the bridge. My first time descending this way; very pleasant. The cog is currently running for a few more weeks up to 3,800 feet.
Decent weather today. Chilly winds on Monroe and Washington, but still less than 20 mph. Felt like mid winter. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21, bria |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-11-18 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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