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Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Madison, NH
Trails
Trails: Valley Way, Osgood Trail, Upper Bruin, Lower Bruin, Watson Path, Airline Cutoff, Brookside
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, September 25, 2022
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Parking was what you'd expect at Appalachia on a mostly clement weekend day.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Slush 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Snyder Brook is certainly bopping along, but so far, the water crossings weren't terrible. Take a minute to plan your line, and your feet should stay dry. Places where the trail was doing double duty as a drainage were unquestionably wet, but not so much as to soak your feet. Note that there's a hurricane forecast for Florida in a couple days, and so later this week, all this may be moot due to remnants of said hurricane.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Trails were overall in good shape. The smaller ones might have needed a little loving, but nothing that slowed or otherwise impeded forward progress to any real degree. It might be nice if a few spots had trees and blow-downs managed by serious snowfall, but if it didn't happen, there wouldn't be a huge disruption in the order of the universe.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Only one pup, who seemed to be having a good time.  
Bugs
Bugs: I saw some, but none were even close to being what one would call a nuisance, let alone a bother.  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: One knit glove, dark in color, left at the kiosk.  
 
Comments
Comments: Everything I did today could have gone up and down Valley Way and Osgood. But the weather was good enough for knocking out some redlining stuff, and so my route meandered by more than I'd have preferred. Mea magna culpa. Overall, with the weather being neither this nor that (for the most part) it was hard to decide what I felt about the day, but I think things went well in total. Certainly nothing went awry.

Up near the top of Valley Way, I spied a very small number of tiny spots of what might have been called icy snow-like stuff. It was certainly frozen. Washington sported some ice that was easily visible on the drive to the trailhead, but by the time I got to Madison Hut, I doubt any of it was remaining unless in a very shaded area. It would seem that winter is on its way.

Madison Hut is open for hikers to visit (but not spend the night) on Monday and Tuesday -- water, bathrooms, and the like will still be available. From the sounds of it, if you're there early on Wednesday, you might be able to visit, but make no plans for midweek that don't have an effective backup. They did make it clear that they're not hanging around to watch the sunset, that's for sure. I saw much of the hut turned completely upside down as they packed things to be flown and carried away, and the "durable" things like dishes and cookware to be put away until next season.  
Name
Name: Protean Wanderer 
E-Mail
E-Mail: hiker@proteanwanderer.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2022-09-25 
Link
Link: https://www.proteanwanderer.com/2022/09/25/trip-report-mopping-up-on-madison/ 
Bookmark and Share 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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