| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Monroe, Mt. Washington, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Trinity Heights Connector, Gulfside, Cog Rail Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, December 30, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Ammo lot is somewhat plowed/packed down, but only had a couple inches of powder, so it wasn't an issue. About 8 cars when we arrived in the morning at 8 and the same when we left around 3. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable) |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The first major crossing on ammo is pretty tricky at the moment, all the nice thick cover ice from last week melted with the warmer weather and the rain caused higher water levels, so all the usual logs and rocks are submerged. The rocks that do work are covered in black ice and have some powder on top, so it a fairly difficult crossing that took us a solid 5 min to cross. Besides that first crossing, nothing else was significant. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Small blowdowns on ammo before the cog/ammo intersection, nothing major |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Found a red micro near the beginning of ammo and left it on a small branch next to the trail. A glove was blowing around the summit of washington and another was seen at the bottom of the cog. A baseball hat on top of monroe that was frozen solid. |
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 | Comments: |
Ammo had probably 2-3 inches of powder up to gem pool covering layers of white and black ice in most spots. Micros took care of that without issue. The water crossing are not very good right now as mentioned in the water section. Trail from gem pool up to alpine is very well packed and is near perfect for micros, fantastic conditions there. Everything above the alpine barrier and below the hut is very icy, but manageable, as it usually is, just be careful as some ice is disguised below a small layer of powder, so watch the footing. Around the hut is solid ice, but is flat and micros are ample.
Monroe loop is a very eclectic mix of ice, dry and granular powder, frozen bare ground, and packed snow. Micros were fine, but the conditions changed every 10ft, so be aware of it. The mix of rain, wind, snow, and different temperatures have really made that ascent from the hut an odd mix of terrain. Micros were fine.
Crawford path from the hut to washington is about as good as can be expected. Flat ice with micros is no issue. The last section is all frozen, packed snow and is about as good as it can get for micros. Makes that nice noisy crunch when stepped on. Wind was pretty significant above 6k and windchill brought temps into the negatives so goggles and facemask were helpful.
We took the cog down due to the wind and it was fairly icy above 6k, then mostly packed snow with patches of ice down to about 4k, then 2-3in of powder on bare ground for the rest.
Overall, a typical winter hike for the area considering the non-ideal weather we've had. More packed snow is welcome, especially at low elevations. |
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 | Name: |
Chris L |
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 | E-Mail: |
clandadio@cedarville.edu |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-12-30 |
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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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