| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Brookside Trail, Lower Bruin, Osgood Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 27, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Appalachia is Appalachia. Plowed and busy. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Water crossings are well-bridged now |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few tree limbs hanging down on Brookside and Lower Bruin, but unsurprising given how infrequently these trails are hiked |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
What a gorgeous day with total undercast on Mt. Madison! Aside from the occasional postholes, Valley Way is in perfect snowshoeing shape--it's got a nice snowshoe track set, and it's completely broken out. From the hut to the summit, Osgood is a mix of loose snow and some harder crusty snow from freezing rain. Our group and probably 90% of the people we saw were using microspikes, but a couple people were using snowshoes. Crampons would be a bad move. We also hiked Brookside and Lower Bruin to add to the challenge. Brookside was lightly broken out until the junction with the Kelton Trail; from there back to Valley Way via Lower Bruin was completely untouched. 7 of us put a nice track on both trails. If you're looking for a more challenging and arguably more interesting deviation from Valley Way, Brookside to Lower Bruin should be in good shape for some time. |
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 | Name: |
GoBlue |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-01-27 |
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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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