U
Unregistered
Guest
Went up the Ammonusuc Ravine Trail to the hut, up and down Monroe, then up Washington via Crawford Path, and down the Jewell trail back to the Cog Base. It was 35-40 degrees at 8am, and the Ammo trail was soft ice with areas of thin snow up to the Gem Pool. Above that it was soft, packed snow to the hut. People were using microspikes, crampons and snowshoes, with equal success. I stayed in micropspikes and had no problem due to the softness of the snow. Near tree line, the trail leaves its normal route and heads up the streambed, which is getting thin in places, with a few postholes down to flowing water. It was about 45 degrees and sunny with a 20-30 mph breeze when we reached the hut at 9:45, and there were about 20 people milling around enjoying the sun. The short trip up to Monroe and back was on soft ice, some snow, and rocks, and spikes or crampons were fine.
It was mostly rocks with a smattering of snow fields from Monroe to Washington, with LOTS of melt water flowing between the rocks, and gathering in the trail. The trail was a mix of 2' deep packed snow that was very soft, some ice, and rocks, and a post hole in the snowy sections usually meant water up to mid-calf. Most people were wearing microspikes or similar, and tried to stay on the rocks when possible. A few struggled in snowshoes, but it was tough going with all the rock. It became progressively windier toward Washington, from about 25mph at the hut to 40mph at the summit, with occasionally higher gusts. Despite the wind, it was about 45-50 degrees and sunny, and most people were wearing light clothing with a windbreaker. We were on the summit from about 12:30-1pm.
The trip down the Jewell Trail was easy enough except for the scattered snow patches in the upper areas along the Cog tracks, which we tried to bypass to avoid postholing. We were in microspikes and crampons since snowshoes weren't realy feasible due to the intermittent nature of deep snow and all the exposed rock, and we probably would have postholed even in snowshoes. The wind diminished rapidly once we left the summit area. Once leaving the Cog tracks, the trail was almost in summer condition until it descended through the low scrub, at which point there was more very soft snow mixed with rock, which wasn't much fun. This only lasted for a short time, and became more solid as we passed treeline. We were hot in short sleeve shirts at this point due to the sun, almost calm wind, and temps in the 50's. In the woods the snow was fairly firm, and postholing was not a problem. It became a thin layer of soft ice about halfway down, resulting in a fast trip to the base in spikes. Total loop time 7 1/2 hrs.
It was mostly rocks with a smattering of snow fields from Monroe to Washington, with LOTS of melt water flowing between the rocks, and gathering in the trail. The trail was a mix of 2' deep packed snow that was very soft, some ice, and rocks, and a post hole in the snowy sections usually meant water up to mid-calf. Most people were wearing microspikes or similar, and tried to stay on the rocks when possible. A few struggled in snowshoes, but it was tough going with all the rock. It became progressively windier toward Washington, from about 25mph at the hut to 40mph at the summit, with occasionally higher gusts. Despite the wind, it was about 45-50 degrees and sunny, and most people were wearing light clothing with a windbreaker. We were on the summit from about 12:30-1pm.
The trip down the Jewell Trail was easy enough except for the scattered snow patches in the upper areas along the Cog tracks, which we tried to bypass to avoid postholing. We were in microspikes and crampons since snowshoes weren't realy feasible due to the intermittent nature of deep snow and all the exposed rock, and we probably would have postholed even in snowshoes. The wind diminished rapidly once we left the summit area. Once leaving the Cog tracks, the trail was almost in summer condition until it descended through the low scrub, at which point there was more very soft snow mixed with rock, which wasn't much fun. This only lasted for a short time, and became more solid as we passed treeline. We were hot in short sleeve shirts at this point due to the sun, almost calm wind, and temps in the 50's. In the woods the snow was fairly firm, and postholing was not a problem. It became a thin layer of soft ice about halfway down, resulting in a fast trip to the base in spikes. Total loop time 7 1/2 hrs.
