| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Ad Chase Brook Mountain, Ad Chase Brook Mountain - South Peak , NH |
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 | Trails: |
Ad Chase Road, bushwhack, snowmobile trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 22, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
There is a plowed pulloff a very short ways up on the road on your left where I parked. Room for at least a few cars there. A couple drove down the road and said that they were the owners and that they’d be out all day so the gate would be open so I was welcome to park further up along the road. They were very friendly and kind. I went a little bit further, but didn’t want to push my luck with only FWD so didn’t go too much further and attempted to pull off at the next partially plowed spot. Well, low and behold I get stuck trying to park. Somehow, I managed to get unstuck, turn my car around (every heard of a 25-point turn?) and head back down the road. Here, I ran into another car that was coming up as I was heading down. They backed down to allow me to pass, and we got talking. He explained that HE is actually the owner of the road, and asked the specifics of the people who spoke with me earlier. He was also very friendly and kind but evidently this road is a prime spot for major U.S. Canadian drug deals to go down so he wanted to make sure no funny business was going on. He said that state troopers also use the plowed pullout I parked in to monitor the area. So long story short, park in the first large plowed pulloff and make sure you don’t show up looking like a drug lord 🙃 |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing of significance |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
N/A |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Day 83, Peaks 73&74. 1st hike of the day. Was supposed to hike Teapot in the morning but when my car didn’t start I had to go to plan b. Unfortunate, but at least this way temps were allowed to warm up and I started in temps right around 0. Sunny and minimal wind. Beautiful day!
The first folks I ran into during my parking fiasco told me that there was a trail to the top of north peak. It was just beyond a red shed that I’d come to after about 25min of walking the road. There, I’d see a road about 20ft wide that would take me near the summit. Well, I followed the Ad Chase Rd for well over a mile, came to a red wood shed, and found a road opposite it. I took it into the woods. This was at about 1650ft. Unlike yesterday’s hike where the snow was slightly crusty, the snow here was all fluffy white goodness! Good ol’ fashion trail breaking conditions! Snow depth, at a minimum, was a half foot, probably closer to 8in. The road travelled NE for almost 0.1mi where a more overgrown Skidder road diverged left, closer to my bearing, and the main road curved right away from the peak. I foolishly decided to make this hike a bushwhack at this point despite what the man in the car told me and took the skidder road since the main road seemed to be heading away from the peak. In reality, the road was probably headed for the minor southern ridge where the grade would be more forgiving. But, being me, I had to go the hard way straight up the peak.
No scrambling or anything but just very steep going in (somewhat) deep powder. Made for a good workout. Lots of deer tracks in here. I eventually made it up to the ridge weaving through hardwoods the whole way, then had to walk SE a bit to the highpoint. I found the jar easily enough, signed in, and headed down. Finding a road or two by the summit, I figured I wouldn’t be foolish a second time and take the roads down figuring it would involve less falling on my ass than going down the steep way I came up would. Well, the road I took along the ridge almost immediately curved left (east) down the wrong side of the peak. Guess I chose the wrong road. I bushwhacked again. I headed S/SW and found gentler grades than on my ascent. Again, all hardwoods, with some overgrown skidder roads thrown in there. I came out maybe 1/3mi below where I jumped off Ad Chase Rd on my ascent at about 1575ft.
Here, I crossed the road, took a bearing and headed up toward south peak. I can’t remember if the road I walked on was soon discovered after leaving Ad Chase Rd or was directly off of it. In any case, I followed a road for about 1/3mi south to about 1750ft. Here, I was just below an 1800ft knob N/NE of the peak. I skirted around the backside of it (west) which is when I dived off the road and into the woods. I walked into some softwoods here but nothing thick. Some really beautiful woods in fact and I believe there were some roads in here as well. Before long I hear snowmobiles and soon pop out onto a snowmobile trail. I cross it, with the peak in sight, and walk up through an open area toward the peak, following a road into a notch between two peaks, then whacked up to the correct one (make sure you don’t go to the wrong one!). It wasn’t hard to find the jar.
I returned in my tracks to the snowmobile trail, followed it a short ways until it headed away from my destination, and then followed the drainage E/SE between the 1800ft knob that I mentioned I skirted around earlier and the peak. I more or less followed nearby this drainage the whole way back down to the road but with an exception or two where I picked up a nearby road thinking it would be easier walking but soon led me off course. I rejoined Ad Chase Rd as a snowmobile trail crossed. Another, rougher road, joined nearby the drainage which was easier walking. Only a 1/4mi or less from here back to my parked car.
Snowshoes on the entire day though they certainly aren’t needed along the road obviously. The hike was about 5.5-6mi with 1200-1300ft of gain, taking me just under 4hrs. 282 more days and 291 more peaks to go… |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-01-25 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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