| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison, Mt. Pierce, Mt. Guyot, South Twin Mountain, Mt. Garfield, Mt. Lafayette, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Great Gulf Trail, Osgood Trail, Gulfside, Westside Trail, Crawford Path, Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Zealand Trail, Twinway, Garfield Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path, Lonesome Lake Trail, Cascade Brook Trail, Fishin' Jimmy Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, June 9, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at Lonesome Lake trailhead at 9PM. Many thanks to Trail Angels Hiker Services for shuttling me to the 19-Mile Brook Trailhead after hours to accommodate my craziness! Friendly, professional, and right on time. Would strongly recommend them, especially with the AMC Hiker Shuttle out of operation for 2020. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy rock hops or step-overs. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Most of the trails were in surprisingly good shape. Exceptions: A-Z Trail (between Willey Range Trail and Zealand Trail) had many blowdowns, and the Twinway between the Bondcliff Trail and South Twin was even worse. Lonesome Lake Trail in the straight section below the lake is a widened and heavily-braided mess, and was surprisingly difficult to follow via headlamp to tag the last hut! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
If you took a dog on this route, the ASPCA would be waiting at your door the next morning. |
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 | Bugs: |
Cool temperatures and a light to moderate breeze meant no bugs for most of the day! A few black flies were around in the late afternoon/evening hours, but bug spray was effective. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
After attempting this for each of the previous 4 years, I finally completed the AMC Hut Traverse, and what better time to do it than during a pandemic?
Departed Carter Notch Hut just after midnight, and a friendly hut caretaker was waiting for me at Lonesome Lake Hut at 9:20 PM! Not many people out on a random Tuesday, and social distancing was easy. Most of the trails were surprisingly dry... even the Garfield Ridge Trail, which is never dry, was less annoying than usual.
There were 2 significant snowfields on the Gulfside Trail crossing Mt. Jefferson. The first was about 50 yards wide, in its usual spot below the Jefferson Loop junction. The exposure there can be a bit unnerving, but the snow was soft, and I crossed on the flat section all the way at the top of the slope. The second snowfield was much larger, and was near the Gulfside / Six Husbands junction- no sketchy exposure here.
The Osgood Trail up/down Madison, the Twinway down South Twin, and the Garfield Ridge Trail ascending/descending Garfield and ascending Lafayette were nearly 100% snow-free. Plenty of intermittent monorail on the Twinway, starting a bit after the ladder section climbing from Zeacliff Pond. There was much more of it on the climb to Guyot, and even more monorail between Guyot and South Twin. Traction was not needed (or necessarily helpful) for any of this, and microspikes would have been on and off frequently. The Presidentials were in the clear under overcast skies, with cool temperatures, an occasional sprinkle, and light to moderate winds. The sun finally came out while ascending Lafayette, which was a great way to finish. |
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 | Name: |
Jason |
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 | E-Mail: |
kurlando7@hotmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-06-10 |
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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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