| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Abigail Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lowes Path, King Ravine Trail, Chemin des Dames, Airline, Great Gulf Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 13, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Lowe Store (old gas station across from trail end.)
Others claimed that owner is no longer collecting parking fees.
In fact gas station has all the signs of near abandonment. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None were even close to concerning. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Lowe's is rougher than one's reading the AMC White Mtn guide might otherwise state. But appears to be lightly used, and therefore suffers less erosion than many of the more popular through fares, To wit: the Valley Way and Airline.
That said, all Trails, including Lowes, are generally in good shape..
So, thank you trail maintainers!
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Only recall seeing one pooch on lower part of Lowe's Path on the way up.
Pooch was very friend, as were his owners. |
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 | Bugs: |
A few here and there, but nothing to write home about.
It was generally cool and above treeline there was a faint breeze that undoubtedly kept the "flying friends" grounded.
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing to report. |
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 | Comments: |
More of an overcast day than anticipated, yet the sun and blue skies made periodic appearances from early to late morning. It was cool, esp above treeline.
We went through King Ravine, opting the "Chemin des Dames" cutoff for a change. The "Chemin" reduced some of the elevation gain, which then Airline compensated for. "Chemin" is almost as much a jungle gym as continuing up King Ravine Head wall. There's a surprising "Lemon squeezer" feature that required some pack removal, pack push-through, and then some personal contortions to surmount. More amusing than crazy.
Our plan included a potential side trip to Mt Adams summit. By the time we reached the Airline/Gulfside junction, we used Gulfside and made our decision at Thunderstorm junction. We bailed on Adam's summit, as we'd been on it many times before, it was already 3pm and frankly, we were quite weary from the King's Chasm and "Chemin"'s nar. ;-). As a matter of course, we bagged Abigail Adams, as it's on Lowe's path.
Aside: We encountered one party of four 20-something year old guys had just left Mt Adam's Lowe Path and were heading Southwest on Gulfside, they turned back to us standing at Thunderstorm junction, asking: "Do you know where we can camp?" My buddy pulled out a map and we started to make suggestions. As we did this all four of them alternated looking at their phones to looking at my buddy's map. They had no map. Ugh? Then as they pulled away in a new direction, they asked "Where can we get water?"
This was my 4th trip up King Ravine and my hiking buddy's 2nd. Admittedly a challenging trail, yet I never tire of the views. Unique and awe-inspiring. Reminds of me our area's glacial past and how insignificant I feel when surrounded by the huge boulders and high walls of this canyon. Another great day in the Mountains. |
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 | Name: |
Mike & hiking buddy |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-08-14 |
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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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