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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Gray Knob Cabin, Mt. Abigail Adams, NH
Trails
Trails: Unnamed Trail, The Link, Amphibrach, Randolph Path, Lowe's Path, Gray Knob Trail, Quay Path, Perch Path, Gulfside Trail, Hincks Trail, Spur Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Thursday, July 4, 2024
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Knowing that Appalachia would be a madhouse, I parked on the shoulder of Route 2 where the path leading from the Link ultimately comes out. It's a convenient way to save a half-mile of hiking in each direction. Since it's not an official parking area, I was the only car there in both the morning and afternoon. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: All the crossings of Spur Brook were pretty easy. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Three particularly annoying blowdowns - one on Amphibrach, one on Randolph Path, and one on Hincks. Randolph Path and Hincks were wet in places, with some standing and running water. Part of Gulfside between the two Israel Ridge junctions had standing and running water due to some springs that were flowing well today. One junction (I think one of the Perch Path junctions) has a temporary RMC trail sign, while all other junctions are well signed. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: As many here have noted, above treeline in the Presidentials is not the best place for dogs, since most of the trails leading there are steep and the sharp, jagged rocks can hurt dogs. I didn't see any myself, though a couple of hikers I met at Thunderstorm Junction said they saw one earlier on their hike despite the concerns. 
Bugs
Bugs: Not an issue anywhere, and I didn't put on bug spray. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Nothing. 
 
Comments
Comments: What better way to celebrate the 4th of July than by beating myself up with an extremely strenuous, above treeline hike in the Presidentials?

The unnamed path leading to the Link soon before reaching Memorial Bridge was easy to follow. Amphibrach is a nice, moderate route with good footing. The portion of Randolph Path I used (from the Pentadoi to the junction with Lowe's Path) has some steep and rough sections - it goes across a very steep sidehill. This section had some areas of standing and running water on the trail. Lowe's Path up to Gray Knob is a steep and strenuous climb, with plenty of wet ledges (the worst ones can by bypassed, though). When I finally reached Gray Knob Trail, I redlined Quay Path for the heck of it - it's not on the Redlining Spreadsheet as of now, but it's clearly signed and trodden, so I figured I'd get it done. When I reached Gray Knob, three people were packing up and were going to head to the Perch. The caretaker wasn't there, though, so I couldn't ask about the above-treeline weather forecast, but it seemed OK so I headed out on my above-treeline loop.

Gray Knob Trail is EXTREMELY rough - it's definitely tougher and more time-consuming than it looks on a map. I redlined the northern portion of Perch Path to get it done - it is also quite rough. Gray Knob Trail gains a little bit of elevation but then runs on contour to its junction with Randolph Path. Randolph Path from there to Edmands Col was also mostly rough, however in a few spots there was evidence of rocks being placed to "pave" the path and make it smoother. As I approached Edmands Col, small clouds started blowing through, but they never hindered visibility, and Edmands Col was the only place above treeline that was cloudy when I hiked through it today. The first stretch of Gulfside, heading up from Edmands Col toward Adams, had fairly good footing - there are plenty of rocks, but nothing unusual for an above-treeline trail. The next section, where Israel Ridge coincides with Gulfside, drops into a patch of scrub where the trail is very wet due to springs in the area. It then climbs on talus, before ultimately easing as it approaches Thunderstorm Junction.

Thunderstorm Junction was the highest-elevation point on my hike. To my gratification, winds were very light there, and it was easy to take a break there and have lunch. I chatted with several other groups of hikers who came by there. Then came the long, mostly above-treeline descent back down Lowe's Path to Gray Knob, to redline it. The trail goes over Mt. Abigail Adams, but the climb up to its summit is very short. The remainder of the descent alternated between rocky normal trail, and talus fields. There was a bit of a breeze in this section, but it never got anywhere near strong enough to make me uncomfortable, and it felt quite good. The trail enters the woods just before reaching Gray Knob Trail, and I headed over to the cabin again. I was the only person there this time. I filtered water from the supply that the people I met earlier had collected. I was a bit miffed that the caretaker wasn't there during either of my visits today - as an RMC member and someone who might be interested in staying there overnight in the winter at some point, I would've liked to talk with them. But I didn't hang around too long since I still had most of my descent to do. The descent from Gray Knob is about 3,100 vertical feet, but I somehow managed to do it in only two hours, surprising myself. Hincks and Spur are both very steep, with rough footing for most of the trail, but not terrible. And the rest of the descent is moderate and smoother. I didn't see anyone on Hincks, Spur, or Amphibrach, but I met three people on the short stretch of Randolph Path between the Pentadoi and the junction with Spur Trail. Two of them were heading for the Perch, with the idea of doing Washington tomorrow - I hope it works out for them!

The one final thing I have to say is, thank God for the Amphibrach. It is definitely one of the smoothest, most moderate, and easiest trails in the Northern Presidentials, and is thus my preferred route for hiking anywhere in the vicinity of the RMC camps. I was able to descend the entire thing in less than an hour, despite being extremely tired from the hike. If the Amphibrach's volunteer trail maintainer is reading this, I am grateful to you for all of your work.  
Name
Name: GN 
E-Mail
E-Mail: ghnaigles@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2024-07-04 
Link
Link: https:// 
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