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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Adams, Mt. Madison, NH
Trails
Trails: Air Line, Gulfside, Osgood Trail, Valley Way
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, March 17, 2012
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes:  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Slush, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow - Spring Snow 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Light Traction, Snowshoes 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: No issues on the two small crossings on Valley Way 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: A couple of step over blow downs on Valley Way 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Air Line was a firm, and well packed in the morning. There were a series of icy bulges at around 3500' or so. We negotiated them fairly easily with micro-spikes, but crampons wouldn't have been overkill. Towards treeline the snow was a stable monorail with postholes at the sides. Along Durand Ridge, Air Line is mostly bare rock, with some avoidable snow and ice. Once off the ridge snow and ice increase somewhat, but is still largely avoidable.



Gulfside was soft, and prone to postholes outside of packed footbed. Osgood to the summit of Madison had occasional patches of snow and ice, but was largely rock-hopable.



For most of its length, Valley Way was well packed, with a layer of slushy snow on top. The sides of the trail were prone to postholing as I did a couple of times. There were some icy sections that were easily handles with micro-spikes. You could hear water running under the surface in quite a few spots, including several places where it was visible. Lower down the trail surface becomes a thin layer of ice.



We saw quite a few people wearing crampons, which in certain spots probably weren't overkill, but we got along fine in our micro-spikes without ever feeling that we were pushing their limits. We kept them on below treeline and took them on and off above, depending on the amount of snow.



An absolutely beautiful day. It felt like late April.  
Name
Name: ThomasC 
E-Mail
E-Mail: tcarlile at gmail 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2012-03-18 
Link
Link: https://peakpursuits.blogspot.com/2012/03/mount-adams-and-mount-madison-17-march.html 
Bookmark and Share 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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