| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Adams, Mt. Madison , NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Scar Trail, Airline, Osgood Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, March 18, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
About 20 cars at 10:45 |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few small blowdowns on Valley Way |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Greatly enjoyed meeting Bear the 9.5 year-old Golden mix on the summit of Adams. He wanted my pizza, but had to settle for lots of ear rubs. He was doing really well for an old white-faced pup (Has now hiked 41/48 in last 8 months). His owner was gonna take them down airline (was unfamiliar with trail and conditions), which I politely suggested against based on last week’s trail report suggesting mandatory crampons/ice ace on the steeps. They ended up following me down to hut/valley way which was a big relief. I made tough call to leave Fin at home. She could have done the hike safely, but I didnt want to risk getting her into a sketchy situation or having to turn around due to tough conditions |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
First .75 miles of Valley Way was thin, soft, grippy ice and hard pack. Spikes were perfect. Trail then transitioned to very soft, slick snow. I tried to spike for 5 minutes and it was a lot of wasted energy so I put on the snowshoes and they were WAY better. Plus you know-televators! Scar Trail had not seen any recent traffic. Trail breaking was not as bad as I thought it would be-I typically was sinking 2-3 inches and only postholed 5-6 times in the shoes. still tough work and was glad to hit airline. Kept shoes on until tree line. Above tree line I was able to bareboot/ rock hop 90% of time, with the rest being slush and standing/running water. Tons of melting on Durand ridge. I barebooted until 100’ below Adams summit where I put on spikes and kept them on until just above Mad Hut. Met two lovely, very young-at heart ladies on summit who were working on W48 and had come from Jeff. they inspired me to summit Madison-thank you ladies! amazing views from both summits. also met a Bear up on Adams:) I spiked for 5 minutes down Valley Way but was sliding uncontrollably and again wasting lots of energy so threw the shoes back on and it made life a million times easier (it was 4:00 at this point the snow was extremely soft and slick). Boggles my mind that people would carry snowshoes down that trail today, but to each their own! Oh yeah, only 99 more trails to finish the NH White Mountain Guidebook R E D L I N E. |
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 | Name: |
Spence |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-03-18 |
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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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