Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Monroe, NH |
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| Trails: |
Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Monroe Loop |
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| Date of Hike: |
Saturday, November 19, 2011 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the Cog Base Station, only 4 other cars when we came back down |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Traction |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
Rock hoppers easy |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
no blow downs |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
rough trail for a pup |
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| Bugs: |
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| Lost and Found: |
none |
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| Comments: |
Relatively easy and straight forward trail before gem pool at 1.5 miles in. Only one section of the trail below gem pool that was tricky, where the trail climbs up an angled rock slab that was covered with ice - a slide down this ice would land you in the brook. We bush whacked around this because we didn't have crampons on yet.
Above gem pool, the stair master section is free of ice with minimal snow, but nearing it's top and from that point forward, ice is all you'll meet. I would recommend putting on crampons at gem pool.
I did see one pair of men who got away with microspikes today, but the ice was relatively soft and with the cold weather approaching it will only harden - crampons is the way to go.
Unless conditions change, above the hut today we could have gotten away without crampons at all, but we left them on for the chance of meeting ice. We found none. Any precipitation coming through at this point will freeze, so I'd keep them on.
Coming down was rough footing with some rather dangerous sections due to the ice. Crampons, ice axe or hiking poles, and maybe a rope are great to keep as safe as possible on the way down. |
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| Name: |
Rick and Dave |
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| E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2011-11-19 |
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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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