| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Osgood Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, May 5, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at Appalachia around 8am. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Drifts, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues as long as you didn't mind getting wet feet, Valley Way below 3000' was essentially a running stream but none of the rivulets on the way up crossing the trail posed any challenges. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Few blow downs here and there but nothing that was impossible to get around or over. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Some little ones down low but none of the bite-y ones are out yet. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
Lost pair of katoolah microspikes size large, color black |
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|
 | Comments: |
Interesting day and seriously underestimated the amount of snow left above the 3500-4000' line. Wanted to go out and take a glance at the Airline Cutoff for some spring trail maintenance which was incredibly naive as it had well over 4' of snow on it in parts, so much for that plan. Traces of snow and monorail on Valley Way started around 3000' and on the upper portion before the hut there had be a solid 3-4' with a fresh foot or two that made it very precarious. Below 3000' it was just wet mostly with sections of dry trail here and there. Regrouped and dried off in the sun at the hut and decided to make a go of it to get up Madison. Could've used snowshoes for sure but they would be useless on about 85% of the trail right now. Was able to kick in in my Kahtoolas and get up to the summit following the cairns, post-holed up to my thighs a few times but was rewarded with a nearly windless and quite mild temped summit. Crossed one other hiker who was debating getting up Madison behind me but not sure if they did or not. I'm sure conditions will be changing rapidly with the warm weather but man this was a butt-kicker of a day above 3000'. Valley Way was basically a stream below 3000' on the way down and my boots were soaked. Luckily with the warm temps it was not an issue. Had my microspikes sucked off somewhere between the hut and the tent site, please reach out if you find them, I was more unhappy about LNT than losing them as they were pretty much useless in the mushy snow down lower. |
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 | Name: |
NickHikesAndPlaysGuitar |
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 | E-Mail: |
nicksidla@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-05-08 |
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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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