| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Clay, Mt. Washington, Mt. Monroe, Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Pierce, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Osgood Trail, Gulfside, Airline, Lowe's Path, Israel Ridge Trail, Jefferson Loop, Clay Loop, Cog Tracks, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Eisenhower Loop, Webster Cliff Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
N/A |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Stellar weather day for a Presi Traverse. Fancypants was actually Hawaii Bob today because he did the entire traverse in shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and trail runners (while I opted for lightweight boots).
Valley Way's ice is significant but was not as bad as we had anticipated. Some form of traction is required for the ice bulges and flows above Watson Path jct. We found Hillsound spikes adequate. Barebooted up Madison and Adams -- mostly rockhopping w/some snow between the rocks. Traversing around Sam Adams we started to get warm as the sun was very strong today (yay). Out came the sunscreen, sunglasses, and baseball hat and off came some layers.
We put Hillsound spikes back on for the Jefferson snowfields (my favorite part of the day). Snow was soft so crossing/climbing them was easy. Spikes came back off, and we barebooted over Clay and Washington. Saw a half dozen skiers on the Great Gulf headwall. O_O We hopped onto the cog tracks since the walking was easier than the by now almost slushy snow.
Descent of Washington toward LOC Hut was crazy: the "trail" had turned into a veritable stream, with an incredible amount of snowmelt coming off the slopes. We passed hundreds of, er, vernal pools on the way to Pierce, Crawford Path was a running stream for much of its length, and our feet were soaked. Good thing it was a warm day! When temps fall below freezing again, trails will likely be quite icy. We put spikes on for the little crux on Monroe and were glad we did, but again barebooted almost all the way to Pierce, with just a bit of tricky ice before the Pierce turnoff. Descending from Pierce, Crawford Path has some impressive ice flows that required careful negotiating. Spikes went back on for the next couple miles.
Other than Washington, we saw only a dozen or so folks up there. Thanks to Hawaii Bob for an A+ Traverse!! |
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 | Name: |
Snowflea & Fancypants |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-04-18 |
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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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