| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Great Gulf Trail, Six Husbands Trail, Buttress Trail, Osgood Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, August 2, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at 7:30 at Great Gulf lot. Still plenty of spaces in the late afternoon/early evening. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Parapet Brook was easy rock hop.
West Branch Peabody was a difficult rock hop. Water was flowing fast. There is red flagging on each side at the crossing, which helps. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Great Gulf was basically OK with the usual mud issues. There are two significant blow downs between Madison Gulf and 6 Husbands Trails. Both have red tape on them so I assume they are on the list to be cleared. All trail signage was Excellent with many fairly new signs. Some kind of rock step operation going on on the mid sections of the Osgood.
However, The Buttress Trail is very grown in at the higher elevations and your body will take a beating because of this. In some places, the scrub has completely covered the trail and you will have to just blast thru it. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw none. I don't think these trails are very dog friendly |
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 | Bugs: |
Some, but not a real problem. Worst on the descent on the Osgood. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
I dropped a set of reading (map) glasses somewhere high on the Buttress Trail. I'm sure they are gone forever. |
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 | Comments: |
I read in my guidebook that the Buttress Trail was one of the easier trails in the Great Gulf. I would respectfully disagree and I have been on all the others! First of all, it has got to be the longest 2.2 miles in the White Mountains. The trail seemed much longer than that. The upper reaches have lots of ledge scrambles that are more than trivial and I already mentioned the overgrowth above. The talus/rock field that is crossed soon after leaving the 6 Husbands is pretty insane, but does have great views. The Buttress did have ample cairns in the upper reaches to make following the trail easy. |
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 | Name: |
Maineguy |
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 | E-Mail: |
ne111er@comcast.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-08-02 |
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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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