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Mt. Madison via Daniel Webster/Osgood on 3/5/2015
Random Group of Hikers, party of 4.
We ascended Mt. Madison via a counter-clockwise loop from The Great Gulf parking lot, up via Daniel Webster Scout Trail & down via Osgood Trail. About 3" crusty snow at lower elevations gradually increasing to 1.0-1.5 feet with deeper drifts & changing to powder at higher elevations below treeline. Above treeline mostly bare rock with a little ice and deep drift pockets (mixed powder and hard sastrugi) in lees. The usual alpine snowfields simply don't exist this winter. Lots of ice below the snow below treeline (particularly on Osgood) but the snow is sticking to it well, thus a lot less slippery. We found a single set of tracks ascending DWST to a point below the steeps where they turned around and the same phenomenon on Osgood with 2-3 prints to about 1.0 below treeline, turning around. Otherwise we were breaking trail. We used spikes on ascent, switched to snowshoes, then spikes/ bare boots over rocks above treeline. No snowshoes on the descent, just plunged down into the soft drifts which thinned to about a crusty 4" not far below treeline. We brought crampons but did not feel the need for them. Approx 8 significant blowdowns on DWST, one near the base the rest much higher up, easy enough to get around/under/over. About 3 on Osgood, higher up.
Wind & cold were extremely over-exaggerated in weather reports. We had initially planned on Washington via Lion Head but changed to this based on uncertain weather. In retrospect the pristine trails, lack of compaction ice, and no crowds made it a more enjoyable choice, no regrets.
Shoeless Paul, [email protected]
Photos: http://www.meetup.com/random-hikers/events/229083582
Random Group of Hikers, party of 4.
We ascended Mt. Madison via a counter-clockwise loop from The Great Gulf parking lot, up via Daniel Webster Scout Trail & down via Osgood Trail. About 3" crusty snow at lower elevations gradually increasing to 1.0-1.5 feet with deeper drifts & changing to powder at higher elevations below treeline. Above treeline mostly bare rock with a little ice and deep drift pockets (mixed powder and hard sastrugi) in lees. The usual alpine snowfields simply don't exist this winter. Lots of ice below the snow below treeline (particularly on Osgood) but the snow is sticking to it well, thus a lot less slippery. We found a single set of tracks ascending DWST to a point below the steeps where they turned around and the same phenomenon on Osgood with 2-3 prints to about 1.0 below treeline, turning around. Otherwise we were breaking trail. We used spikes on ascent, switched to snowshoes, then spikes/ bare boots over rocks above treeline. No snowshoes on the descent, just plunged down into the soft drifts which thinned to about a crusty 4" not far below treeline. We brought crampons but did not feel the need for them. Approx 8 significant blowdowns on DWST, one near the base the rest much higher up, easy enough to get around/under/over. About 3 on Osgood, higher up.
Wind & cold were extremely over-exaggerated in weather reports. We had initially planned on Washington via Lion Head but changed to this based on uncertain weather. In retrospect the pristine trails, lack of compaction ice, and no crowds made it a more enjoyable choice, no regrets.
Shoeless Paul, [email protected]
Photos: http://www.meetup.com/random-hikers/events/229083582
