| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Washington, Mt. Clay, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Great Gulf Trail, Westside Trail, Clay Loop, Sphinx Trail, Six Husbands Trail, Edmands Cutoff, Star Lake Trail, Buttress Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, July 31, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Everything was rock hoppable including Parapet Brook on Great Gulf Trail and the West Branch Peabody River on start of Six Husbands. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Rock blazes on the Great Gulf headwall are pretty much gone/impossible to see, and with lack of cairns, it was definitely hard to stay on track. Six Husbands could use some new blazes going through the caves. Buttress Trail was very overgrown and a beast to get down. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
No bug net needed! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
What a beast of a trip! 2 days, 24.7 miles, 9753 ft ascent, 9763 ft descent and 3 Terrifying25 trails! Finished the Terrifying 25 and got to 99.7% for redlining! Just 5.0 miles left! Sun 7/30: Great Gulf Trail was all good, though it is definitely hard to navigate once you start ascending the headwall, and it took us about 1.5 hours for the last 1.3 miles. The trail just goes straight up the streambed/up waterfalls, which was quite precarious and one slip did leave me quite shaken. We lost the trail for a bit up the talus but eventually found our way back to it. Went up Gulfside to Washington which was in and out of the clouds but we had a yummy piece of pizza and continued on our merry way down Crawford Path to Westside Trail. Westside Trail is absolutely lovely! Not kidding when the Guide says that "many segments are paved with carefully placed stones". Then onto Mt. Clay loop which was also such a joy! These mountains are just so magnificent. Descending the Sphinx Trail was slippery and therefore slow going (about 1.5 hrs for 1.1 miles), but it wasn't bad! Camped at the signed camping spot on the Great Gulf Trail up from the Wamsutta/Six Husbands Jct. Of course my headlamp died, my satellite phone died, and I brought the wrong tent poles. We were able to rig something up, though, and had a cozy night. Next morning (Mon 7/31), we headed up Six Husbands - my last T25. Not sure if it was day 2 legs or the rain in the forecast, but I found this to be scarier than any of the other T25! Particularly that one slippery sloping ledge at the top of a ladder. We only connected up to Gulfside (didn't bother to summit), and then went back down 0.3 to take Edmands Cutoff. This is not a T25, but with the speed of the clouds blowing by and the pitch of the slope that this trail cuts into, it really made my stomach drop! Walking perpendicular to slopes is always scarier to me than any vertical ascent for some reason. The way up Adams on Gulfside was a welcome break from all the technical hiking! Lovely walking! Great views made more dramatic with the woosh of the clouds. Then down Star Lake Trail which was slow but fun. Then we came to Buttress Trail which is when we both hit a wall. This trail is SO OVERGROWN and it POURED RAIN and there were so many slippery rocks to navigate but you couldn't see them because it was so overgrown. Maybe we were just grumpy and tired, but this was NOT our favorite trail. We were thankful to get back to Great Gulf and have an easy hike out back to our car! With the rain and pain, I decided to leave Chandler Brook undone... but still... just 5.0 more miles!!!! Wahoo! |
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 | Name: |
CTRL+Z |
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 | E-Mail: |
dtwilson4826@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-08-02 |
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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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