| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Osgood Trail, Gulfside, Airline |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 31, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lot was about full on return. Half full at 6:20AM. Semi truck was parked in there eating up a lot of spots but was gone in afternoon |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, 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, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Lots of small debris on trails. As previously described by others recently Valley Way is looking rough from erosion damage |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Tough rock hopping up high right now with slick rocks and hidden crevasses. Saw two dogs who seemed to be enjoying themselves |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Guy told me he lost his ice axe. I found it. Per his request I posted it to Facebook list and found group. |
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 | Comments: |
Epic undercast conditions today. Only other visible peaks were Carters, Wildcat A, and Franconia Ridge. Still gross trail conditions. Wet and sloppy down low. Put rocks spikes on close to hut. Kept them on until summit of Adams. Put hillsounds on for descent of Adams and wore them until bottom of the steeps. They were getting rocked but oh well! Only new significant snow was on Durand Ridge-several inches of very light, fluffy powder with some drifting. Lots of friendly folks out today. Warned about an unprepared gentleman who I then encountered. Very large man wearing at least 50 pounds of gear and crazy amount of layers that were soaked through. Said he was experiencing cramps and didn’t want to go back down airline steeps. Had no knowledge of where to go. His poles broke and bladder froze-just a hot mess. went over map with him and he thought could make it last 500’ feet to upper Bruin and over to Valley Way. Gave him some pointers on layering properly, water storage, etc. and made sure he was okay to continue on his own. Hope he made it down okay he had bitten off way more than he could chew. Happy New Year!!! |
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 | Name: |
Spence |
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 | E-Mail: |
stormyweatherholt@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-12-31 |
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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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