| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Adams, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Air Line Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
|
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
|
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
|
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
|
|
 | Bugs: |
|
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Route:
Out and back to Adams summit via Airline.
Airline: well blazed in blue below tree line, thank goodness. I had to do a bit of route finding this morning. Snowshoes from start to finish due to large volumes of snow. In lower elevations the snow is bony but this does not last long and is still enough for snowshoes. To my extreme pleasure (read groaning), I found completely unbroken trail just before sunrise this morning. Oh joy… My lofty plans of grabbing Jefferson after Adams were promptly chucked as I began braking trail from the trailhead.
Not long into the hike the snow rapidly increased in volume. Once up in the birch glen, the snow quickly hit a consistent 6 inches. Working my way up through the pines saw snow morph into 8 inches. Then just before the open area around 3200 feet I hit 12 inches of soft, granular snow. Man, was I working to break that out. Inserting my poles next to the trail into the snow had them sinking to their hilts. On Durand Ridge I found the same foot of snow on trail, but it was more firm in most areas. The drifts about did me in as they provided no firm base or traction. One step forward, 2 feet of sliding back. It was equal parts firm snow with soul sucking drifts or soft snow. The carins along the ridge were completely discernible. The snowshoes made sure I didn’t get sucked into a “rock well.”
After turning off the ridge, the slog fest began. Again, it was equal parts firm, supportive snow interspersed with drifts that would not allow snowshoes a good purchase. So I’d make a bit of headway on firm snow, the encounter a drift where I’d kick step into a drift, launch myself up, only to slide two feet deep into the drift. Lather rinse repeat. Cursing. Sweating. The wind was biting, not fast, but it found ways into every seam it could. The carins were visible until the final 0.3 mile summit push. The drifts and rime have eaten them alive, I do fear. Thus, I made my own route trying to walk along the spines of drifts nearest the route as best I remembered it. Mostly it was a process of three steps up, three seconds to catch my breath, 3 steps up, 3 seconds of groaning thinking “I’m never going to get there |
|
 | Name: |
Remington34 |
|
 | E-Mail: |
|
|
| Date Submitted: |
2023-12-07 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
