| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Adams, Mt. Madison, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Gulfside, Airline, Osgood Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, January 8, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at the trailhead. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable) |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
A couple of brook crossings - mostly covered with ice which seemed to be melting later in the afternoon |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
One chilly pup scampering up (and later down) Adams. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Besides the giant ice spiders, there was barely any bugs of note. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
Lost a snow basket for my Black Diamond hiking pole. |
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|
 | Comments: |
Valley Way trail is pretty straight forward. Slowly ascending for the first few miles and then gets progressively steeper at it reaches treeline/Madison Hut (but don't they all). A stable monorail allowed me to bareboot it until the tent site. At that point it became prudent to get some traction on for the occasional icy sections. The wind made things challenging past treeline. Kept the spikes on for the slog up and back Gulfside to and from Adams first, and then Madison. Most of Gulfside trail is an unhealthy mix of bare rocks, ice, frozen snow, and powdery drifts. A rewarding hike, but I think I'm gonna need to invest in some new microspikes. |
|
 | Name: |
warmsummersun |
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 | E-Mail: |
robertcfinat(a)hotmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-01-11 |
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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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