Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Adams, Mt. Madison, NH |
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| Trails: |
Air Line, Gulfside, Osgood Trail, Valley Way |
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| Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 17, 2012 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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| 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 |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Snowshoes |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues on the two small crossings on Valley Way |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple of step over blow downs on Valley Way |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
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| Bugs: |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| 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. |
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| Name: |
ThomasC |
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| E-Mail: |
tcarlile at gmail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-03-18 |
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| Link: |
https://peakpursuits.blogspot.com/2012/03/mount-adams-and-mount-madison-17-march.html |
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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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