nartreb
Well-known member
There was a thin but dark cloud forming west of the summit when I parked just after noon...
Trail hard packed, has seen a large number of sleds and even more butts. Light traction and poles very helpful, but a few people managed with bare boots (sneakers, in one case). One section of icy seepage crossing the trail, no problem. Snowshoes not needed - even off trail, I never sank past the knee. Crampons would not be out of the question on the descent: if you don't want to slide, you have to stay on the edge of the trail or step *very* carefully, even in Microspikes.
By the time I reached South Peak, it was in the clouds, with a bitingly cold wind. Mt Washington reported ~50mph wind all day long; my wild guess for Moosilauke was 30mph: not hard to stand but hard to do things like put on a backpack.
Summit was full winter conditions with a bit of ground blizzard: visibility of one cairn-distance or less, but the treadway was pretty obvious. After taking a self-portrait with a ten-second timer, I had to wipe rime off my camera to be able to review the photo.
Winter's not over yet!
Trail hard packed, has seen a large number of sleds and even more butts. Light traction and poles very helpful, but a few people managed with bare boots (sneakers, in one case). One section of icy seepage crossing the trail, no problem. Snowshoes not needed - even off trail, I never sank past the knee. Crampons would not be out of the question on the descent: if you don't want to slide, you have to stay on the edge of the trail or step *very* carefully, even in Microspikes.
By the time I reached South Peak, it was in the clouds, with a bitingly cold wind. Mt Washington reported ~50mph wind all day long; my wild guess for Moosilauke was 30mph: not hard to stand but hard to do things like put on a backpack.
Summit was full winter conditions with a bit of ground blizzard: visibility of one cairn-distance or less, but the treadway was pretty obvious. After taking a self-portrait with a ten-second timer, I had to wipe rime off my camera to be able to review the photo.
Winter's not over yet!
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