| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Air Line, Gulfside, Valley Way |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 21, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The Appalachia parking lot was thin packed snow. Still some parking spaces free at 8:45am. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The streams to cross were tiny, easy to rock hop. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One low, easy-to-step-over blowdown on Air Line just above the first two tiny stream crossings. A higher step-over blowdown midway up Air Line. One blowdown midway down Valley Way, at an awkward height if you are butt-sledding. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Be careful to look both ways for snowmobiles when crossing the Presidential Rail Trail very near the parking lot.
Most people were ascending via Valley Way, and a smaller number via Air Line. The side trails on the north side of Adams/Madison had little to no traffic since the snow on Jan 19-20. It looked as if there had been almost no traffic on Gulfside west of the junction with Air Line. Most of Air Line had about six inches of unpacked snow above solid packed ice/snow, which was enough that crampons were never necessary. Few enough rocks were exposed that they could be avoided if desired. Either snowshoes or microspikes would have worked; we saw people using both. The snow was shallow enough that it was helpful to have microspike tracks to use as footholds in steeper parts of trail. I am usually a fan of snowshoes, but today they were smoothing out the footholds, making things more difficult!
Valley Way saw a lot of traffic today, but still has a few inches of loose snow. There is enough snow that conditions for butt-sledding on the upper parts of Valley Way are ideal (and, in several steep places, the easiest way to get down!) - I suppose that this will only get better with the snow forecast for Sunday night and the next few weekdays. Descending was fast: my group descended from the summit of Mt. Adams to Madison Spring Hut to Appalachia in 2.5 hours total, including breaks. |
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 | Name: |
mathbp |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-01-21 |
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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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