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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Monroe, Mt. Franklin, Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Pierce, Mt. Jackson, NH
Trails
Trails: Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Franklin Loop, Eisenhower Loop, Webster Cliff Trail, Webster Jackson Trail, Elephant's Head Spur
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 3, 2021
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Early bird gets the good spots. We may have tokyo-drifted and did a donut in the USFS lot with about 6" of fresh powder in it. There is a sizable spruce blocking visibility on base station road of the entrance. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Snow - Spring Snow, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush, Snow/Ice - Small Patches 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Only issue today was the crossing from USFS lot to the ammo link junction. There is a down tree you can walk on and another you can hold onto, however I was not prepared for the cirque de soliel acrobatics required at 7 am. I only had one coffee.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Only blowdowns noted where on Webster Cliff, a single hand saw tree that has fallen parallel to the trail bed, and one other on Webster-Jackson (Jackson) again probably hand saw worthy with some vigor. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Several doggies out today all having a ball. 
Bugs
Bugs: No bugs 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: I did pack out a painted rock from the summit of Ike. It obviously had great significance to someone, if you do want it back let me know. 
 
Comments
Comments: A FINE day above the forest! We started out in spikes but quickly switched to shoes. About 6" of fresh powder greeted us at the trailhead and increased from there. Ammo was actually in really fine shape early. We ended up catching about six, all in snowshoes, and we took our turn breaking from there. There was one bare booting lunatic infront of us who had zero sense of direction, and snowshoes on his pack to boot. We all quickly realized he was going on his own odyssey, so we tried to correct the trail to Lake of the Clouds Hut. From there our (mis)adventures begin. Dan and I ended up seeking shelter in the dungeon because the wind was really howling. MWOBS had ambient temps at 6 degrees at this time, and the wind was tossing us around. The other six fellas ended up joining us in the dungeon. What could go wrong, 8 men in a musty dungeon smelling of mildew or moldy cheese, old beef, and a bottle of rum which was probably paint thinner. One person said, "what's wrong with the floor?!" well about then, the ice broke from our collective weight and it became a mad dash of save yourself in 6" of water. I ended up having to army man crawl through the bunks, while somehow trying to save dan's pack from falling, while whipping around the ladder in my snowshoes with the eloquence of a pole dancer. This truly was a sight to behold.

With this exhilerating experience, we went on to summit Monroe. Winds where howling at this point and we debated calling it. We kept going, despite the strong winds. Trail conditions where more or less favorable to Franklin. From Franklin to Ike I was going through waist deep drifts (I am only 5'3 so this is not really that sizable in reality). Dropping off Ike to treeline towards Pierce was an absolute garbabe rototilled mess. It corrects itself when its not so exposed to the sun. Surpisingly good conditions along webster cliff and webster jackson. Only a few uncontrolled skids. Contemplated buttsledding but there are several roots that would offer an unwelcomed proctologist exam. A huge thanks to Dan for continually pushing me today - it was one of those days in my head. I did run into a mother daughter combo on their way to Ike - Carol I believe!? (I am lucky if i remember where I park) Hi!!  
Name
Name: The Teal Goat & Deep End Dan 
E-Mail
E-Mail: sea2thebiscuit@yahoo.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2021-04-03 
Link
Link: https:// 
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