| 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, Mt. Clay Loop, Jefferson Loop, Jewell Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, May 12, 2011 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the "Hiker Parking" lot a bit below the base station. I didn't hike from the base station this winter so this was new to me. Room for quite a few cars in this lot. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
rock hops |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple of blowdowns early on Ammo but no probems. Several stretches of blowdown on Jewell but not really a problem there either. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
It was a longer day than the mighty tough little dog usually is on the trails, but with the sun blocked most of the day, and frequent sources of water and snow, he didn't overheat. He loved all the views and he got to meet his good buddy Georg. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Saw a knit hat put on the side of the trail early on Ammo. |
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|
 | Comments: |
Barebooted to gem pool. Monorail started early on Ammo but was supportive. Switched to microspikes up to the hut. Barebooted thereafter until around 4500' on Jewell when I switched to the snowshoes as the monorail was soft,high and narrow and barebooters had postholed quite a bit. But around 4000' the monorail developed gaps and it wasn't long before the trail was mostly snowfree, so it was back to bareboots. What a contrast with Ammo.
The forecast was for a sunny & low wind day on the higher summits, so I decided to take a vacation day and hike Monroe & George. Monroe and Washington, however were hiked in the clouds. There was almost no wind on Washington and temps were nice so we took a leisurely lunch.
Saw our first hiker there who came up Lions Head using crampons on the winter ice stretch. On the way over to Clay, Pepper was thrilled to meet Georg doing a Presi traverse with Guy and Erika. What an accomplished group of hikers. On finishing Erika would have done a Presi traverse every month for 26 months!
Clay was just barely clear when we got there but that was nice, and Jefferson cleared as we neared it. Yes! We took another leisurely stop there to talk with the RMC hut caretaker Bonzo. Only up and down Jefferson did we get the promised sun, and it was glorious to be on the trails then. We hiked down under mostly cloudy skies. Great temps, nice breeze, not enough clearing or sun, but enough to remember the day as a great day with the little dog. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2011-05-12 |
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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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