Like many of you on here and other forums, I couldn't sit at home on a day like last Saturday. I thought that to get the most out of the weather, I should go above treeline. And that's exactly what I did, on Mount Adams, via the Air Line, Gulfside, and Valley Way trails.
At Appalachia, there was snow, but not much- maybe a trace or so. About a mile and a half or so up Air Line, there was enough snow to completely cover everything. Wasn't deep, but it was slick, so on went the spikes. Upon reaching the start of the exposed part of the trail, the snow was twice as deep, with one to two foot drifts in places. Durand Ridge was awesome- the view across King Ravine, up to Adams, and to Madison and the hut were unobstructed and white with snow
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Once past the Gulfside Trail, I hiked the slowest 0.5 mile I had ever done. I was still technically on a trail (Air Line), but the cairns were hard to see with all the rime ice, and the rocks all looked the same, still with snow and rime. Sadly, I lost the trail several times and ended up in some really sketchy areas, but after several pauses to think and look ahead, I eventually made it to the NOT socked-in summit of Adams.
The view was incredible! 360 views, and of some neat features, namely the Northern Presis and Great Gulf, Bretton Woods ski area, and the Carter/Wildcat ranges. The wind was whipping (anywhere from 35 to 50 MPH, I'm bad with that kind of thing), and it was extremely cold. It was fun, though! Can't get this while in the trees.
The descent to Gulfside was surprisingly easier than the ascent, prob'ly because I took the trail proper this time. Took Gulfside to the hut and ate lunch there, and then headed down Valley Way (a cinch), arriving at Appalachia at 3:15, 6.5 hours after starting.
Here's a (long) video of the day's adventure, if you're interested and have 23 minutes to spare :
http://youtu.be/F4xJgCiKgZ0
EDIT: I'm still not an expert on this site, so forgive me if I posted the pic the wrong way .
At Appalachia, there was snow, but not much- maybe a trace or so. About a mile and a half or so up Air Line, there was enough snow to completely cover everything. Wasn't deep, but it was slick, so on went the spikes. Upon reaching the start of the exposed part of the trail, the snow was twice as deep, with one to two foot drifts in places. Durand Ridge was awesome- the view across King Ravine, up to Adams, and to Madison and the hut were unobstructed and white with snow
.Once past the Gulfside Trail, I hiked the slowest 0.5 mile I had ever done. I was still technically on a trail (Air Line), but the cairns were hard to see with all the rime ice, and the rocks all looked the same, still with snow and rime. Sadly, I lost the trail several times and ended up in some really sketchy areas, but after several pauses to think and look ahead, I eventually made it to the NOT socked-in summit of Adams.
The view was incredible! 360 views, and of some neat features, namely the Northern Presis and Great Gulf, Bretton Woods ski area, and the Carter/Wildcat ranges. The wind was whipping (anywhere from 35 to 50 MPH, I'm bad with that kind of thing), and it was extremely cold. It was fun, though! Can't get this while in the trees.
The descent to Gulfside was surprisingly easier than the ascent, prob'ly because I took the trail proper this time. Took Gulfside to the hut and ate lunch there, and then headed down Valley Way (a cinch), arriving at Appalachia at 3:15, 6.5 hours after starting.
Here's a (long) video of the day's adventure, if you're interested and have 23 minutes to spare
: http://youtu.be/F4xJgCiKgZ0
EDIT: I'm still not an expert on this site, so forgive me if I posted the pic the wrong way
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