| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Osgood Trail, Star Lake Trail, Airline |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 19, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Appalachia was busy! |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
A few of the low-altitude streams are open and without snow bridge, but crossings easily managed. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns on Valley Way and Airline, but manageable. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Outstanding day for a hike. Valley Way is a little sketchy in the first half mile (a few bare/wet spots) but quickly becomes a stable monorail; at higher altitude the snow is deep (4-5') and the monorail is quite narrow. Traction is strongly advised because some sections are slippery. From Madison hut to Madison summit is a little icy but easily managed.
Star Lake trail was difficult to follow - I lost the trail and (from the old footprints visible) so had others. I traversed snowfields until I reached the upper section of the trail.
Airline from Adams summit down to Gulfside was fine, though icy in spots; some puddles had formed and iced-over in last nights' cold.
Airline from Gulfside to Appalachia was tricky, due to a punky monorail and lots of postholing, and to some underground springs that created pillows of ice on the trail. Airline would be *very* difficult to climb at this time, and will get worse over the next week. I recommend avoiding it for another month or two. |
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 | Name: |
David Kotz |
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 | E-Mail: |
dfkotz@mac.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-04-19 |
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 | Link: |
 https://photos.davidkotz.org/Outdoors/2015/Presies-April |
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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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