| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Washington (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Lions Head Winter Route |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, March 17, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Spring Snow, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction, Ice Axe, Skis |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Snow bridges seemed stable and thick over the few small streams, although they had broken through in parts |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Attempted Mt. Washington via Lion's Head Winter Route. Got to the crux, and while I was fairly confident in my ability to ascend it, I was very worried about my ability to descend it later in the day. The 'Hillary Step' portion (as I've seen it described elsewhere because its where the traffic jams sometimes) was very mixed conditions. Portions were just exposed wet rock, and portions were covered in unstable ice/snow. I'm fairly new to mountaineering, and I was traveling solo wearing crampons and utlizing an ice axe. I got a little uncomfortable as I approached this portion, and in the first few moves into the crux I had a hard time finding a solid spot in the snow/ice that didn't collapse as I began to put weight on it. I decided to turn around at this point.
It was still very early in the day, and I decided to take advantage of the nice day and hike to the bottom of Tuckerman's Ravine, and had some incredible views.
Tuckerman's ravine trail up to Hermit Lake Shelter was a very solid packed powder. From there to the bottom of the ravine the predominate condition was the same solid packed powder, but there was some small bits of exposed rock, and semi-solid ice. Lion's head up to the crux was packed powder, with some ice underneath, but as mentioned the crux was unstable snow/ice and exposed rock.
For Tuckerman's Ravine Trail to the bottom of the Ravine Microspikes would be appropriate from my perspective. I was wearing crampons, but they were definitly overkill. Some people had bare boots and made it fine. For Lion's Head I would recommend Crampons, Ice Axe, and either a rope to aid in descent or more courage or experience than I had with me.
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 | Name: |
Ben Reisner |
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 | E-Mail: |
breisner@trackerprollc.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-03-17 |
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 | Link: |
 https://imgur.com/a/f8F4w3E |
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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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