TMax
New member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 589
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Date of Hike: Friday May 17, 2008.
Trail Conditions: Took Lion Head (summer route is open) up to Washington. Solid snow cover on the Tucks fire road from the winter route turnoff, but no need for traction. Up Lionhead, snow peters out pretty quickly but what's there is soft and crappy. Lots of water running in the trail above Lionhead then some snow fields as you head up the cone, most most of the cone is snow free. Summit building is open! Trail over to Jefferson was pretty clear and in good shape. Coming off Jeff, there are a couple of sketchy snowfields with a pretty intense slope. Trail up Adams fairly wet. Took the Star Lake trail down Adams. It was still full of snow and difficult to navigate, lots of drops between rocks. Up and over Madison was good. Came down the Daniel Webster (which even on a good day sucks) trail. Typical side-hilling rock hopping above tree line. Just above the "many have died here" sign the snow begins. Just below that sign an avalanche has wiped out the trail. I had a very difficult time getting down. The snow was rotten and the avalanche took down lots of trees as well. Took a compass bearing and just worked my way down zig-zagging around that bearing until I re-found the trail. Took quite a while and lots of energy! I wouldn't hike that trail anytime soon! (P.S. found a digital camera on the Daniel Webster, if you think it's yours, send me a PM).
Special Equipment Required: POLES!!! Carried crampons all day, never used them. In the areas of deep snow it was so rotten, I don't think snowshoes would have helped.
Comments: Beautiful day for a Northern Traverse. Alpine flowers just beginning to blossom.
Trail Conditions: Took Lion Head (summer route is open) up to Washington. Solid snow cover on the Tucks fire road from the winter route turnoff, but no need for traction. Up Lionhead, snow peters out pretty quickly but what's there is soft and crappy. Lots of water running in the trail above Lionhead then some snow fields as you head up the cone, most most of the cone is snow free. Summit building is open! Trail over to Jefferson was pretty clear and in good shape. Coming off Jeff, there are a couple of sketchy snowfields with a pretty intense slope. Trail up Adams fairly wet. Took the Star Lake trail down Adams. It was still full of snow and difficult to navigate, lots of drops between rocks. Up and over Madison was good. Came down the Daniel Webster (which even on a good day sucks) trail. Typical side-hilling rock hopping above tree line. Just above the "many have died here" sign the snow begins. Just below that sign an avalanche has wiped out the trail. I had a very difficult time getting down. The snow was rotten and the avalanche took down lots of trees as well. Took a compass bearing and just worked my way down zig-zagging around that bearing until I re-found the trail. Took quite a while and lots of energy! I wouldn't hike that trail anytime soon! (P.S. found a digital camera on the Daniel Webster, if you think it's yours, send me a PM).
Special Equipment Required: POLES!!! Carried crampons all day, never used them. In the areas of deep snow it was so rotten, I don't think snowshoes would have helped.
Comments: Beautiful day for a Northern Traverse. Alpine flowers just beginning to blossom.
