Edmunds Path trailhead

Question for a friend: is the Edmunds Path trailhead accessible? I believe that the Mt. Clinton Road is used as a snowmobile trail this year, but have not been in the region this winter.

Thanks!!

There have been trip reports / trail conditions stating access from the cog / ammo parking area walking/skiing up Mt. Clinton Road.

Tim

bikehikeskifish said:

There have been trip reports / trail conditions stating access from the cog / ammo parking area walking/skiing up Mt. Clinton Road.

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Parking at Jefferson Notch Rd used to be recommended on MEs website although I have seen large No Parking signs there

A group of us did Ike from Crawford and hiked down the Edmands Path and road walked Clinton Rd. back to our cars with no problem.

MadRiver said:

... and road walked Clinton Rd. back to our cars with no problem.

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"No problem" apart from the road walk

You said "accessible" not "accessible by car"

Tim

Might as well leave the car in Thornton and hike the whole way

MadRiver said:

A group of us did Ike from Crawford and hiked down the Edmands Path and road walked Clinton Rd. back to our cars with no problem.

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Was the Clinton Road trailhead the one to use (rather than parking at the Highland Center)?

--M. said:

Was the Clinton Road trailhead the one to use (rather than parking at the Highland Center)?

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Yes - we all parked at the Clinton Road Parking area.

Thank you!

If the OP doesn't mind...

Pinkham Notch Visitor Center has showers in the basement; does the Highland Center have showers for warming & cleaning after two frozen days in the tundra? Why does the Highland Center remind me of the Overlook Hotel? Perhaps the loggers can create a giant maze.

Did I hear that Mizpah Spring runs even in winter? Other than heating it to keep from freezing, would one need to filter it (or boil it extensively) at this time of year? I know this is largely a matter of debate, but such a high spring in such a season?

When tenting on a platform covered in snow, is stomping it down with snowshoes the play? Or clearing it off entirely? Tent stakes (or even "snow stakes") are unnecessary given a platform, yes?

How long before you need it do you think you can stuff a sleeping bag into it's tiniest compression bag?

Does the Crawford Path tolerate a wide sleeping pad on your pack, or is it all grown in?

If anyone has actually been in the Notch in the last day and can comment on the conditions, would ya please pipe up?

Thanks again!

--Mike.

--M. said:

Did I hear that Mizpah Spring runs even in winter? Other than heating it to keep from freezing, would one need to filter it (or boil it extensively) at this time of year? I know this is largely a matter of debate, but such a high spring in such a season?

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Streams do run in winter, but you may have to dig though ice to get to them. Fooling around at the edge of a stream can be risky. Be prepared to melt water. (Once prepared to melt water, you no longer need to camp near streams.)

The issues of water purification are the same in winter as in summer. Snow can be contaminated so it is also desirable to boil snow melt as well.

When tenting on a platform covered in snow, is stomping it down with snowshoes the play? Or clearing it off entirely? Tent stakes (or even "snow stakes") are unnecessary given a platform, yes?

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Stomp out a platform, wait a while (up to an hour) and it will harden--possibly enough that you can walk on it without snowshoes. You will still need snow stakes.

How long before you need it do you think you can stuff a sleeping bag into it's tiniest compression bag?

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I don't use compression stuff sacks--I don't like risking damaging the down. Stuffing your bag a day or two before the trip should be fine. (Just don't store it stuffed.)

Doug

Thanks, DougPaul.

We've done plenty of snow-boiling; first time with "available" water.

See you all up top!

--M. said:

Pinkham Notch Visitor Center has showers in the basement; does the Highland Center have showers for warming & cleaning after two frozen days in the tundra?

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No. During the summer, the Crawford Depot station has showers that run until 5pm. After that, you're out of luck. (I came out after a full day of trailwork, at 5:15, and wasn't allowed a shower.)

You can warm up by the fire, though, and most of the Highland Center clientele will look at you like you're Ed Viesturs. Or Chris McCandless...sort of luck of the draw, there.

Just got back. Thanks again for the info; and I'll do some kind of TC/TR; and the answers to the questions were:

The showers are in a three-season building, and see jniehof's response (thx!).

Mizpah Spring is there, all right, but who wants to hunt it down under three-plus feet of snow and then boil it (not bringing a ceramic filter out there; doesn't work in the cold anyway: doesn't generate a seal), when there's all the snow you want for the melting? How's that for a run-on?

Finding appropriate snow-stakes required stops in Lincoln (neither Lahout's nor two other referred spots) and then more. EMS in North Conway looks like it has a ten-square-mile footprint, but they didn't have 'em. Hmmph. IME was my last try: they sure-enough had 'em (both ridiculous long metal ones, the parachute-style ones I wanted, and titanium ice screws fer gettin' fancy), but they agreed with my nagging suspicion that a free-standing tent on a platform wouldn't need them. Nonetheless, they were eight bucks and weigh little, so I brought 'em. Didn't need 'em.

Kudos to the guys at IME: they always seem to have what I forget to deal with and are fun and informative without being superior or snooty (like they just climbed Mount Washington and they're somebody! Read that here once and laughed, at myself).

Stomping out the platform works beautifully, but it's difficult waiting for what is usually a quick first job. Especially at dusk when cold & hungry (and maybe a little sore & tired).

The sleeping bag (an EMS "Mountain Light" forty-below bag) worked great, no consequences from its 24-hour squishing. There is now a LOT of condensation on it as it airs out at home. I hesitate to ask, but what's the scoop on "damaging the down"?

Crawford Path is wide enough for a bulky back-pack up until around Mizpah Cut-Off, where it gets a little brushy. No biggie, though, compared to the spruce traps! Even the skier took at least one dump in the gullies (I deduce with my Boy Scout tracking skills).

We arrived Friday afternoon, and it had already been packed out by about a half-dozen people and one skier (whose track looked fun!). There were also a dozen kids from a local school, with three delightful chaperones who forced cookies on us. They said they were going to Gibbs Falls, but the kids petered out. We found the turn-off practically within yelling distance, but we knew it was irrelevant by then.

Thanks to helpful responders,

--M.

Oh, and the Mt. Clinton Road parking area was not plowed out, either on Friday nor today.

--M. said:

The sleeping bag (an EMS "Mountain Light" forty-below bag) worked great, no consequences from its 24-hour squishing. There is now a LOT of condensation on it as it airs out at home. I hesitate to ask, but what's the scoop on "damaging the down"?
--M.

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Fret not. Spread it out where it won't be in the way, turn it over once or twice a day, and leave it out until you simply can't stand looking at it. Then leave it out a day longer. Store it very loosely in a very large (preferably breathable) storage sack as big as a garbage can, and away from any mice. It will be ready to go again when you are, for a very long time.

EDIT: Marmot and others will recommend a dryer after washing -- see the link. Just realize that mishandling during washing, especially the transfer from the washer to the dryer, is the number one reason that down bags are damaged (after campfire sparks . . .)

--M. said:

Mizpah Spring is there, all right, but who wants to hunt it down under three-plus feet of snow and then boil it (not bringing a ceramic filter out there; doesn't work in the cold anyway: doesn't generate a seal), when there's all the snow you want for the melting? How's that for a run-on?

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Ceramic filters can crack from freezing and be permanently damaged. If you carry one, you will need to keep it from freezing.

Kinda nice to to have water everywhere. (After all, you have been walking on it all day.) Just make sure you keep the latrine and snow mine adequately separated...

but they agreed with my nagging suspicion that a free-standing tent on a platform wouldn't need them.

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Even "free standing" tents need stakes and guys if it gets windy. I also stick a peg or two around the base to make sure the tent doesn't slide around (even without wind).

Stomping out the platform works beautifully, but it's difficult waiting for what is usually a quick first job. Especially at dusk when cold & hungry (and maybe a little sore & tired).

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We usually stomp out the platform and have dinner while the platform is setting up. The tent can be set up as soon as the platform is ready and someone is available to set it up. (In bad weather, you may wish to do the tent first.)

The sleeping bag (an EMS "Mountain Light" forty-below bag) worked great, no consequences from its 24-hour squishing. There is now a LOT of condensation on it as it airs out at home. I hesitate to ask, but what's the scoop on "damaging the down"?

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As sardog1 said, just spread it out, let it air out and dry, and store loosely. That bag comes with a large cotton storage sack (I have one too). Properly treated, it can last many years--I have a 25+ year old down bag that is as good as new and a 35 year old semi-rectangular down bag that I use as a winter quilt (2000-3000 nights of use). It needs a new zipper and the down in the two tubes at the head end have lost some loft (probably from face and hair oil), but should be useful for a while longer.

On a long trip, a bag might be stuffed damp every day and still be ok. Keeping the bag clean is a big part of making it last. (Avoiding getting it dirty in the first place (for instance, by wearing clothing and balaclavas/hats in the bag to keep body oils out of the bag) is best, wash only when necessary. Improper washing or handling while washing (soaked down is very heavy and the weight can rip the shell or baffles) can also damage/destroy a down bag. Wet washing is generally recommended--most dry cleaners will destroy a down bag. (Specific fluids and techniques are required for dry cleaning of down.)

Doug

DougPaul said:

I don't use compression stuff sacks--I don't like risking damaging the down.

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Thanks for all the commentary on airing out the bag afterward, but I was referring specifically to this comment about compression's effect per se. Squishing down causes feather spinal injury? This was the source of my query.

With regard to the plowing habits of the Forest Service and the Edmands Trailhead parking at the Mt. Clinton Road, the folks at the desk at the Highland Center were quick to point out whose job it was and invited us to call the FS to complain (something about our tax dollars at work). I decided instead to be the customer and simply got them to verbalize that they wouldn't have us towed for parking there at the HC. They gave us windshield tags and we had no more about it.

Now, as for pedestrians crossing Route 302 on a curve, with high snow-banks, during a storm, with heavy packs, plus or minus the snowshoes & poles, I would say that it's only marginally better than almost skiing directly onto Route 16 at Dana Place in identical conditions. No deaths seem to have resulted lately, but it can get a little hairy.

Thanks again for the good info,

--M.

--M. said:

Thanks for all the commentary on airing out the bag afterward, but I was referring specifically to this comment about compression's effect per se. Squishing down causes feather spinal injury? This was the source of my query.

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Storing a bag stuffed for long periods can decrease the loft of the down. What is the exact time threshold between OK and possibly damaging*? I don't know. I simply keep the bag unstuffed unless there is a good reason for it to be stuffed.

How much compression can a bag take*? Obviously there is some limit, but again I can't tell you exactly what it is. When I started hiking, a down sleeping bag that was normally stuffed and otherwise treated well could last many years. (I don't recall compression stuff sacks existing back then.) Normal stuff sacks are known to be safe--the compression stuff sacks just seem to me like they may push the limits.

* In either case I'm sure that the limits vary--some down is certainly more resistant to compression than other down. Or it could be affected by a range of factors such as age, the amount of moisture, the amount of natural oils (down naturally contains some oils), etc.

Doug

What about a down jacket? I leave mine in the stuff sack in my pack all winter - I have only taken it out to wear it once. On that occasion it seemed fully lofted in less than 5 minutes. I do take it out of the sack for the other 9 months of the year.

Tim

Works the same for a down jacket. Down shouldn't be stored in a stuff sack, take it out and hang it when when not in use for longest garment life.