| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Adams, Mt. Madison, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Airline, Gulfside, Osgood Trail, Valley Way |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, April 24, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Water crossings on Valley Way open, but easy to cross. |
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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: |
Bare ground to start on Airline then patchy snow then monorail. One short section of ice in the upper steeper section before the trail gains the ridge and grade eases before breaking tree line. There is definitely monorail and monorail forming. Snow pack right before tree line is still three to four feet. Once out of the trees, it was mostly bare rock, with a bit of snow lingering in scrubby areas and a few snowfields on Adams. We did not use any traction above treeline.
Valley Way was similar to Airline, pack snow with monorail until about 2 miles from Appalachia, then a mix of snow/rock, then no snow for the last mile or so out. The upper, steeper section of Valley Way from the hut to tentsites is narrow monorail with a steep side hill, plus branches in places that wanted to push us down the side hill. We did not feel the need to wear snowshoes at any point.
Likely these conditions will change with the current rain situation.
As a side note, we did find a wide variety of trail trash/treasure. We found and packed out: one new snow basket, an smaller summer trekking pole basket, 2 plastic snowshoe edge protectors, just the tops of ziplocks bags, red wax from a Baby Bell cheese, a small ziplock with a button and thread, mustache print duct tape and various other things. Claudette wins the prize for finding the best item: a half-used bottle of 5 hour double strength energy drink found at the summit of Adams. The fun things you find with the snow melts!
Overall, the weather shaped up to be a lovely above-treeline, trash-picking day! Thanks to Claudette, Kevin and the Spanish Lady for a great hike! |
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 | Name: |
SBanks |
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 | E-Mail: |
summersetbanks@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-04-25 |
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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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