| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Osgood Trail, Gulfside, Airline |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, January 2, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Appalachia lot off US 2. Large, paved lot that is plowed after storms. Kiosk, no privy. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No crossings of significance on these trails. |
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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: |
Route:
Valley Way > Osgood > Gulfside > Airline > end.
Valley Way: Phillip W. covered this in his post so I will only add that it is well blazed in blue. Lovely to have officially met you, Phil and Tom!
Osgood: this is the AT and does have some white blazes. Carins large, visible above the scant snow levels. We used spikes but this trail could be bare booted with care in a few sections. I really thought there would be more ice. Gusty, intermittent winds forced a quick summit reverie then retreat to lower elevations.
Gulfside: the short 0.3 to the Airline junction was well packed with some very small sections of ice under the snow. Spikes worked fine.
Airline: I will discuss this in two parts.
1. From the jct with Gulfside to the summit is well packed in snow with enough icy sections that spikes were the logical footwear. Nothing like the 2+ feet of snow I broke out in November… Phil’s post is spot on. Carins and blue blazes visible above the short snow pack.
2. After returning to the jct with Gulfside, we continued on Airline and traversed Durand Ridge with a mix of small snow drifts (broken out), icy patches, and packed snow. All carins up and visible. Working our way down towards the parking lot: there was a plethora of ice in the upper elevations all the way down to the birch glen. So much more so than Valley Way. Not just short sections. Long runs of frozen water captured in their winter cascade state over rocks and trail. Some ice was soft, other ice was pure glaze and slick as snot. So grateful to be wearing new spikes. Traction most certainly needed. Below the birch glen the ice mellows out and we left spikes on until about a mile from the parking lot. Here the trail turned to bare, frozen earth. Airline is well blazed in blue below tree line. |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-01-02 |
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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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