| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Monroe, Mt. Washington, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, December 14, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Free at USFS or $10 per person at Cog. Can now park at upper cog lot in addition to lower "hikers lot" |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One tree top across the trail below Gem Pool but easy to get around |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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|
 | Lost and Found: |
Found a balaclava on Ammo |
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|
 | Comments: |
It was a nice day and good conditions for Washington & Monroe today. I carried snowshoes today but never thought about using them. It was cold enough to keep the snow firm so there was no postholing but with warmer weather snowshoes would be important especially near Washington summit. The trail is a little rough due to previous hikers breaking trail without snowshoes when the snow was softer but there are only a few areas with deep postholes. The packed trail diverges left from the real trail when you get to the last climb maybe 0.2 miles from the summit. In poor visibility it might be easy to get lost there especially if coming down. I followed the packed trail there on the way up but tried to stay close to the partially buried cairns on the way down. Below tree line everything is packed snow and traction is easy. There are just a few icy areas below tree line but they are easy. Once you break out of the trees there is a lot more ice and bare rocks with a few deep snow fields esp near Washington. There are probably 6 or 7 significant ice flows but I didn't find them difficult because I made sure I was using sharp spikes. With dull spikes they could be problematic. Monroe summit cone was mostly bare rock with minimal ice. |
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 | Name: |
Rick Simmons |
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 | E-Mail: |
RickNH1@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-12-14 |
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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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