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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Adams, NH
Trails
Trails: Airline, Gulfside, Upper Bruin, Valley Way
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 10, 2021
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Parking lot was pretty full when we got there around 7:45 am - we had to park on the gravel on the side. By the time we got our gear out & started, people were parking on the side of the road. There were ALOT of skiers hiking in to ski at King's Ravine. When we got back, the parking lot was mostly empty & it was evident that people had parked pretty far down the side of the road. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: All passable. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: There were ALOT of blowdowns on Valley Way. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: I had my pup with me & she did great! We saw one other dog off-leash, running around in the woods. Seemed to be having a good time & did not bother my dog. 
Bugs
Bugs: YES!!! They are back!!! There were a BUNCH at the summit since it was a windless day! 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: N/A 
 
Comments
Comments: Took Airline up. It was dry & no snow for quite some time. Barebooted to start until you get to the steep stretch of thick, wet ice - then spikes went on & stayed on until tree line. Besides a few steep, icy sections, it is a pretty stable packed trail - spikes worked fine. Once you got to treeline there is very little to no snow or ice - took spikes off.

Had a GORGEOUS, bluebird, & windless day on Airline and on the summit of Adams! There were not that many hikers out (saw just a handful all day) & had the summit to ourselves for about a half hour. Most people we saw when hiking up were skiers who were heading into King's Ravine.

When heading back down we took Airline most of the way, but wanted to cross over to Valley Way to avoid the steep section of thick, wet ice. Therefore, we took Upper Bruin over to Airline. That was a mistake. Upper Bruin has seen NO traffic and is NOT packed out. It is 0.2 miles of soft snow that we have pretty much post-holed a trail through - sorry! If you want to go down Valley Way, I'd recommend going over to the hut & taking Valley Way that way.

After post-holing our way across Upper Bruin to Valley Way, Valley Way was a MESS! It was extremely wet with a bunch of soft rotting snow - we kept spikes on until the snow disappeared. Be careful though for patches of ice & slippery mud. My boots & feet were SOAKED by the end of the hike down on Valley Way. Valley Way was definitely easier on the knees, but I think next time I would chance going down that thick, wet, ice on Airline instead. I much preferred the conditions on Airline to those of Valley Way.  
Name
Name: Katherine C. 
E-Mail
E-Mail: kchillscyzn@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2021-04-13 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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