| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Adams, Mt. Madison, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Upper Bruin, Airline, Gulfside, Osgood Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 3, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lot less than half full at 10 AM today. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns that have been there for 6 weeks or more, easy to get around except (1) new one at the start of Upper Bruin. The monorail is coming back after today's activity and moderate temps should firm it up a bit during the week. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Dry 3-5" powder from the start was lightly packed down by about a dozen hikers today. Traction was just OK in micro-spikes but snowshoes would not have made a difference. Fairly slow going up Valley Way then I broke Upper Bruin which was 18" deep in places with spots between hidden rocks where the snow hadn't settled into the crevices. Once on Airline, there was very little wind but more powder than expected and only 2 sets of footprint ahead of me. Some drifting in spots and minor ice patches. Passed the Airline couple just past the Airline/Gulfside jct and met 3 others coming down from the summit. Headed back down Airline at a steady but not spectacular pace and Gulfside to the hut had some deeper pockets of snow. Headed up Osgood which was snowier than Airline and a bit more windy and there was a spectacular view of the undercast north towards Berlin. Got back to the hut and put crampons on because I knew micro-spikes would be useless in the deeper powder above 3500', I kept them on all the way down because there was sufficient snow cover and ice. Even though I made it from the hut to the parking lot in 1:10 (no running) the total time for the hike was 5:50. My goal was 4:50-5:10 but all that loose powder hindered traction & kept the speed down today. This marks the 10th & 11th 4000 footers in 6 days of actual hiking since 12/24 towards my goal of doing the single-season Winter 48. I was surprised that 2 or 3 groups went up Watson to Madison and another 2 groups did Howker Ridge which HAD to have decent snow cover. Hats off to them! |
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 | Name: |
Bob H |
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 | E-Mail: |
hynoskyb@aol.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-01-03 |
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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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