| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Adams, Mt. Madison, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Airline Trail, Star Lake Trail, Gulfside, Osgood Trail, Valley Way |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 30, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction, Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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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: |
Took Airline Trail from Appalachia all the way to Mt Adams summit. Had the summit to myself for 10-15 minutes. I wanted to do Madison today as well, so I took Star Lake Trail down the southeast side of Adams toward the gully. If I could go back... I would not take this trail, and would have just retraced back Airline to the hut. The descent of Adams down Star Lake Trail is pretty hairy, and if you slip there's nothing stopping you any time soon. Particularly one spot; a small alley between two large boulders, of just hard packed snow, must be 60 degrees slope for a good 30 feet. I'd only suggest if you have solid winter hiking experience and aggressive traction, and at least an ice ax to catch you if you start to slip. Once you pass this, it's just an off cambered half mile over to Star Lake, which was quite nice and for me made it worth it. Saw no footprints. Star Lake Trail is kind of hard to find from Adams summit, but if you go toward the SE extension of the peak toward the Gulf, you will see the cairns.
Dropped my bag at the hut, went up to do Madison quickly, then took Valley Way down, couldn't be bothered with Airline descent - it's quite icy in places and would be tough going down on tired legs. Valley Way is just beat, uneven, hard pack. Just fine for getting back to the car. Saw maybe 8-10 people today. Tomorrow should be fantastic. If it's a bit warmer though, some of the ice and hard snow pack could be a bit more soft at mid elevations. I got by with micro spikes. Half the folks I saw had spikes, half had crampons. My recording is also in Alltrails under 2 trails: 'Mt Madison' and ' Mount Madison and Adams via the Valley Way Trail' (only went down VW). |
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 | Name: |
Luke |
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 | E-Mail: |
luke.hemenway@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-12-30 |
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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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