| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Washington, Boott Spur, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Lion's Head Winter Route, Davis Path, Boott Spur Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 26, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Pinkham 7:30am on a Saturday. No prob due to (a) crummy skiing conditions, (b) tough Washington ascent choices from Pinkham at the present time |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction, Ice Axe |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing of note |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All clear |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Not a dog day |
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 | Bugs: |
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|
 | Lost and Found: |
Found a pair of sunglasses on Boott Spur descent |
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|
 | Comments: |
Ascended via Lion's Head winter route, then up to Washington from the Garden, then back down to Davis Path to Boott Spur for the descent. Spiked up to Lion's Head, then crampons stayed on til we summitted Washington and were partway down Boott Spur and they were skittering uncomfortably on the rocks. Switched back to spikes for the rest of the trip.
Hard packed highway up to the Lion's Head trailhead. All good til we got to the gnarly part near the bottom. No bottleneck there today. It's all exposed rock which is good, but there was a solid layer of ice over most of it which wasn't. Few reliable handholds but using an ice axe to lever yourself up worked for us, as did tossing a rope down. Trail was frozen granular or just plain ice above that, and of course very steep. So don't lose it or you'll take your friends out like bowling pins. Ice axe and crampons required. We met climber-hikers who also descended Lion's Head; they had and used rope. We were like yeah no and opted for the Boott Spur return option.
Washington summit was maybe 20 with a 30mph breeze so, you know, tropical. You still wanted decent traction even though there were exposed rocky patches.
Davis path over to Boott Spur was easy peasy. Enough ice and snow so you could keep your traction on. Boott Spur descent is mostly frozen granular, with some ice and alternately some exposed rock, down to about 3000', whence they became a nuisance and we switched out to spikes. Rest of the trip down to Pinkham was uneventful and even kind of a nice walk. |
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 | Name: |
Muench, Nora, Amal, Nick |
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 | E-Mail: |
erik.coder@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-03-27 |
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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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