5-1-07 Moosilauke with snow, a lot of snow

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grouseking

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Ok to start off, I haven't been hiking for very long in my life, and I'm only 24 years old. But the amount of snow that is still on the ground in the White Mtns is staggering. I was completely in awe at what I saw today out on the trails. Looking at some history, there have only been a handful of years where we might have had a late melt of snow, one being 2001 and another being 1969. I'm sure there are others....But this year has to be one for the record books. Time to go into detail....

Justin and I parked at the gate for Ravine Lodge Road and were off after 9:30. The gate was open, but I wasn't sure if riding on the road was smart, so we huffed it instead. It served as a nice warmup, and really wasn't too steep at all. Weather did not look promising to start, with gusty winds, cloudy skies and cool temperatures, but as we approached the lodge, things brightened up and the sun came out. There was snow at the lodge, and in the shade, it was about knee deep (first posthole of the day!) Once on the trail, there were areas where we automatically started to posthole and I figured it was time to toss on the snowshoes. Soon enough we came to a solid patch of snow that lasted nearly the rest of the ascent as we put them on. Temps were in the upper 30s/low 40s and Gorge Brook was crashing down, making for a very pleasant walk. Snow was around 18-24 inches deep and we were only around 3000 feet. It made me wonder what lie ahead....

Once the snowshoes went on, the trip went smoothly, albeit slow. When I wear those things, my pace is very slow and steady, which is good I guess. Around noon we took a break at the first real viewpoint and soaked up the sun in all of its glory. Man what a day it was turning out to be. As we continued to climb, the number of blowdowns began to increase and the snow depth continued to increase. Also there were some amazing views of Franconia Ridge for the first time. Once we rounded a corner, a hiker told us it was prob best to just take the snow shoes off because the snow was almost done....another 100 yards or so and we'd be out of it....I should have known better since he didn't have any shoes in the first place, and listened to my instinct to tell me to keep them on.

Once we took them off, there was a dry spot, and then the snow picked right up again....and it got deep!!! We would posthole every once in awhile and then it became fairly often....waist deep, and my new personal record, chest deep!! I couldn't believe it. All of this was just before the snow completely disappeared and we got above the trees. Oh well at least the rime ice was magical.

From here on up, the trek to the summit was a piece of cake, and after ringing out my socks of water (I have two lovely holes in my boots....time for a new pair :mad: ) we summited the mtn. Views were astonishing, I took tons of pics, as usual. Thanks to the wind, we only stuck around for a short time. It was getting late already anyways.....

Because I'm really tired...I'll keep the trek down short. Conditions were quite similiar heading down with slightly less snow on the carriage rd, but I was still very impressed by the totals. Then on the Snapper trail, snow was in general 1-2 feet deep with thigh deep areas in locations of drifting. If I did not have snowshoes, I wouldn't have even made it halfway up the mtn. It would have been quite tragic indeed. :D This is the most amount of snow I have ever seen/heard of this late in the year in the mtns. Again, maybe there have been other occurences, but they must be quite rare.

Back at the lodge by 5:07pm and back at the car by 5:45. Fatigue didn't hit until now, so I shall collapse for the night. :)

It was a great hike, and I hope to do one like this again some May!

http://grouseking.phanfare.com/album/271142#imageID=16260314 Pics

grouseking
 
Glad you had a nice day up on the mountain today. It sounds like you are gaining experience in the fine distinction of knowing when to wear the snowshoes and when it is practical to bareboot. I always keep them on until I'm sure I won't sink in. Nothing frustrates me more than unexpectedly causing a huge posthole - and not because I care about the condition I am leaving the trail in at this time of year, it is mostly because it is a miserable, awkward, wetter, and slower way to travel!

And in terms of how much snow is left in the mountains, I have needed snowshoes for 21 out of the last 22 mountains >3000' that I have ever climbed in April or May, with the lone exception being the well-traveled trails on Monadnock. And I was 11 for 11 before this spring. Snow just generally sticks around up there, especially at elevation and especially when it is shaded from the sun under tree cover. I'm sure a snowier-than-average spring has affected the totals this year, but I have yet to see any statistics that show how much more we got this spring than in average years. Anybody have hard numbers that can be documented?

So there's still a lot of snow up there. Maybe we'll end up wearing snowshoes until June. We should all stop fretting over it and get out there and play!
 
I'll be out on Moosilauke this weekend and had been keeping my eyes open for a trip report. Your title said it all. So much for hoping for enough melt this week to dismiss the snowshoes. Thank you very much for the update. I'll be happily and properly prepared.
 
Thanks for the report. I also have been looking for a report on those trails. You mentioned leaving your car at the gate because your weren't sure of the road conditions. Having walked the road, what is your opinion? Do you still feel it is the better part of wisdom to leave your car at the gate?
 
Nice report! Spring conditions (aka mud season).....

Above 3,000 feet there's deep snow in many places right through May. Below, there's plenty of mud! :D

It's all fun if approached with the right frame of mind.

Just remember, there are no mosquitoes (yet).
 
albee said:
And in terms of how much snow is left in the mountains, I have needed snowshoes for 21 out of the last 22 mountains >3000' that I have ever climbed in April or May, with the lone exception being the well-traveled trails on Monadnock. And I was 11 for 11 before this spring. Snow just generally sticks around up there, especially at elevation and especially when it is shaded from the sun under tree cover. I'm sure a snowier-than-average spring has affected the totals this year, but I have yet to see any statistics that show how much more we got this spring than in average years. Anybody have hard numbers that can be documented?

The interesting thing about this year is, where there is snow, it is deep snow from the trailhead to treeline!) I hiked with a meteorologist yesterday and he also thought that the coverage of this year's snow was quite impressive. The deep snow towards treeline was impressive, but it was the deep snow down at the ravine lodge that I postholed to my knees that shocked me! While driving up Rt 118, you could see patches in the shadier woods in the lower elevations. This is a year where spring will arrive very late up north. And the interesting thing about the snow....it almost looks glaciated, and the melting appears to be having a difficult time...there is just SO MUCH of it!! I don't see how this is common, because finding constant deep snow cover in the woods at the Ravine Lodge must be somewhat out of the ordinary.

grouseking
 
Glad to see my postholing from last weekend didn't show :rolleyes:
The only spot i could compare snow measurments was at the beginning of Carriage road. Your picture has the snow line maybe 6-8 inches lower than mine. Hopefully soon this all goes away. I have a lot of trips planned this summer and the longer the snow remains the less likely i'll get them done!
 
Ed 'n Duffy said:
Thanks for the report. I also have been looking for a report on those trails. You mentioned leaving your car at the gate because your weren't sure of the road conditions. Having walked the road, what is your opinion? Do you still feel it is the better part of wisdom to leave your car at the gate?


Well, we could have driven up the road, but its so early in the season that we didn't want to put any big ruts in it. If the temps had warmed a lot during the day driving out would have been terrible. All the cars we saw were parked at the beginning, so we did the same. It's prob best to just wait a little bit longer...there is much melting to be done, and the ground will most likely soften up as temps warm.

grouseking
 
=grouseking And the interesting thing about the snow....it almost looks glaciated, and the melting appears to be having a difficult time...there is just SO MUCH of it!! I don't see how this is common, because finding constant deep snow cover in the woods at the Ravine Lodge must be somewhat out of the ordinary.

grouseking

Night time temps in the mountains have still been consistently below freezing, therefore they don't see the same 24 hour meltdown like the Upper River Valley. This is not out of the ordinary.
 
Cool pictures!
I always find it really cool when it's 50-60 degrees down South, and you are snow shoeing up north...
 
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