| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Gulfside, Airline, Lowes Path, Jefferson Loop, Randolph Path, Gray Knob Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 11, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Lowe's Store ($1 for such nice people) and Applachia which wasn't full but had a fair number of cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Upper Randolph could use some cairns. Randolph sign at intersection with Gray Knob was hidden although Georg cleared it out some. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Cinnilla and Pepper had a good time. For the most part the trails were packed and easy pawpaths, the wind was tolerable, the temps nice. Due to wind on the peaks they did encounter a fewer number of treats than they might have expected. No sign of the Hut moose |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Georg, Per & Cinnilla got #45-7 of their 4Ks in Winter as they did all three peaks. Pepper (reluctantly) and I skipped the Jefferson Loop as I had two left feet and hands all day added in with gear malfunctions. Trail conditions varied considerable. We used bare boots almost to the hut; I put snowshoes on for their grip maybe 20 minutes before reaching it. Spikes were best going up Madison as exposed rocks sometimes made snowshoeing slow. Over to Adams spikes or snowshoes were good on mostly crusty snow and that continued to Edmands Col and for the others up Jefferson. Part way on Grays Knob I switched to my MSRs and kept them on for a long time as the snow was sometimes deep or I wanted the traction. Georg even went to snowshoes for Randolph after Gray Knob since it hadn't been broken at all. Down low on Lowe the snowshoes came off but it was slippery as the ice & snow was wet.
There was considerable wind on the peaks, and just above Edmands Col, maybe in the 40s, but overall it wasn't as bad as forecast. There was plenty of sun and as the day wore on mild temps, but there wasn't much snowballing. We ran into several hikers who came up Airline in crampons. Saw only one familiar face, Marty, with others on Valley Way. Congrats to P & C & G. One more to go. It has been so much fun hiking with you; Pepper loves being a part of this group. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-03-11 |
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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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