| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison , NH |
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 | Trails: |
Pine Link, Osgood Trail, Parapet Trail, Star Lake Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 20, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
To my surprise, the small parking area for Pine Link on Pinkham B Road was actually full when I arrived. I parked along the road. Pinkham B Road is in fairly good condition - the gravel parts are very good while the paved areas are rough but not terrible - old potholes have been mostly filled in. It's in better shape than Mt. Clinton Road going to the Edmands Path trailhead. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Essentially none.
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|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No major blowdowns. A few wet and muddy areas, including a couple above treeline. Signs are all in place, but many are small and old. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a couple. Above treeline in the Presidentials isn't the best place for dogs unless they're very experienced - the rocks are very rough and can hurt dogs. A hut Croo member had to use their first-aid kit on a dog outside the hut this afternoon. |
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 | Bugs: |
Not an issue for me today. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
This is day 1 of a three-day trip, staying at Madison Hut for two nights. Hiked up Pine Link. Pine Link has no warm-up - it starts to climb steeply almost immediately. There are a few easier areas, but overall it's a steep, rough trail. The view at 1.9 miles is excellent - there's a sign for it, but it's easy to miss. Trail was dry until the section just before the junction with Howker Ridge Trail that has a small brook running in and out of it. The section coinciding with Howker Ridge is also steep and rough, and the view from the third Howker is excellent. The next section starts out gradual but soon gets steeper, and has some rock scrambles as it breaks treeline. This part is also wet in places. After it breaks treeline, it continues to climb moderately for longer than I expected before reaching the junction with Watson Path. This section feels longer than 0.8 miles. The final section of Pine Link to Madison Hut is less a trail than a marked route across boulder fields. It is extremely rough and takes a while. The cairns kept me on track - I didn't find the trail difficult to follow, but in poor visibility it could definitely be tough. Just before the trail reaches the hut, it goes through a very wet and muddy area. Right after that, the trail forks - either way will get you to the hut.
The hut area was busy, mostly with day hikers. I dropped my stuff and headed up to the summit of Madison. Rocks were dry, and footing is rough but not horrible. The descent down the other side of Madison is, if anything, rougher than the climb, and didn't take any less time. Cairns are big and helped me stay on the trail. Once I reached Osgood Junction, I turned onto Parapet Trail to head back to the hut. "I'm glad to be on Parapet Trail now!" said no one ever, and I certainly wasn't about to be the first. If anyone were to innocently venture onto the trail without knowing what it's like, the extremely rough talus field the trail goes across right at the beginning will quickly show them. Even though I wasn't carrying much weight, I still averaged less than a mile an hour between the start of the trail and the junction with Madison Gulf Trail. Where the trail isn't going across gnarly talus fields, it negotiates some pretty tough scrambles, including a very precarious one where you have to scramble over a big ledge with a dropoff on the side and no great handholds or footholds. It reminded me of the T25 ledge on Carter Ledge Trail. There were many other scrambles as well, but that one was the toughest. I was very relieved to finally reach better footing just before the descent to the junction with Madison Gulf Trail. The rest of the route, from there back to the Hut, is easier.
Today's hike redlined Pine Link and Parapet Trail and finished off Osgood. Despite the fairly short distance (6.2 miles), it was still a tough day due to the 4,100 vertical feet of elevation gain and extremely rough trails. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-07-20 |
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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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