| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Jefferson, Adams 5, Mt. Adams, Mt. Madison, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Jewell Trail, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop, Israel Ridge Path, Lowe's Path, Airline, Osgood Trail, Valley Way |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, April 27, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Jewell Trailhead still blocked off, so parked at the lower cog parking lot. The cog began passenger service today, so I imagine this may change soon. Appalachia had plenty of room in the AM. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Small Patches, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow - Spring Snow |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Only one of note was on Valley Way, an easy rock-hop. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple blowdowns on Jewell Trail. Valley Way has a bunch scattered all along its length all in the 6-10" range. Some erosion control really needed in spots approaching Adams on the Gulfside from the North,. Valley Way an eroded trench at the hut, and a couple spots in the middle that are eroded deeply too. Airline Cutoff sign at Madison Hut is down, alongside the trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Maggie the Golden Retriever did awesome! She carried sticks up Jewell, romped in the snowfields, and did great hopping on the rough Northern Presi rocks. These sharp rocks can be rough on the paws though, so keep an eye out on your dogs'. Plenty of snow and running seeps for drinking on the go. |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw a couple random bugs, but no skeeters or black flies...yet. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
We picked up a few random trash items. |
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 | Comments: |
An awesome forecast for finishing HossInNH's 48. We did the traverse from the Cog to Appalachia, finishing on Madison. It was a slow day for no particular reason, but it was a great day to linger above treeline. Comfortable temps, low winds (MWOBS reported a PEAK of 24mph!) and good visibility.
We microspiked Jewell Trail to treeline on a solid monorail, though it is a little narrow in a few spots. From treeline all the way to heading down Valley Way, we barebooted. Practically no snow or ice on the trails except the North side of Jefferson and the South shoulder of Adams. We butt-slid down the upper Jefferson snowfield as there was no danger of sliding too far and there was good depth for it. The lower snowfield as you approach Edmands col required care, but the snow was soft so we kicked in steps and managed fine. Others may prefer snowshoe traction here (microspikes would not really be helpful unless it was harder). A large (couple tenths of a mile long) snowfield approaching the final climb to Thunderstorm Junction on Adams, still a solid foot or more deep in here. Valley Way had a narrow monorail with a several foot drop to one side in the upper side-hill section. The monorail flattened out and widened lower down once off the side-hilling and was a fairly easy descent from there. Snowshoes might be a better option for descent, more for the traction than the floatation, though we managed with microspikes. Snow cover becomes erratic around 2500', and none to speak of in the last 1.25 miles or so.
Randomly decided to rock-hop the 20 yards or so to the summit of Adams 5 while heading up, despite the fact we were running well behind schedule. An easy side trip. The real pain today was the usual brutal rock-hopping, basically from the Jewell/Gulfside junction until leaving treeline on Valley Way. For whatever reason, it was harder than before on this day. Despite no ice or snow to deal with. Still a great day, how could you not enjoy a day like this!? Only saw a handful of people all day, though there was a fairly good-sized crowd on Adams as we were about half-way up the snowfield on the side of Adams. They were long gone by the time we reached the summit of course.
A super long day, but a super awesome one. Huge congratulations to HossInNH for finishing his New Hampshire 4000-Footers in epic fashion! |
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 | Name: |
madmattd |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-04-28 |
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 | Link: |
 https://mattshikes.blogspot.com |
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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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