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About


Mt. Adams, Mt. Quincy Adams, Mt. Madison
Randolph, NH, Low and Burbank's Grant, NH, Thompson and Meserve's Purchase, NH

Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
Looking down the Air Line Trail
Looking down the Air Line Trail

Route: Air Line, (Mt. Adams), Air Line, rockwhack, (Mt. Quincy Adams), rockwhack, Gulfside Trail, Osgood Trail, (Mt. Madison), Osgood Trail, Valley Way, Fallsway

With a tremendous weather forecast, I arranged to take the afternoon off and head up to the Northern Presidentials.

Arriving at Appalachia, I loaded up my pack - snowshoes and all - and headed up the Air Line. Things dragged considerably for quite awhile, as I was feeling quite low on energy. While the first fraction of a mile was mostly snow free, the monorail started fairly soon - thus, Microspike time. The Micropsikes were adequate, though there were some significant blue ice bulges along the way that begged for crampons.

Reaching the treeline, my lack of energy suddenly disappeared. The views were tremendous and the temperatures still fairly mild. Reaching the summit, things were a bit windy, but not too bad. After taking a few tea photos (Tea Party Day!), I put on my crampons and carefully worked my way back down the icy snowfield. Having never been to Mt. Quincy Adams before, I decided to leave the trail and head over to it.

Though not particularly prominent, there were great views from the summit nonetheless. While I could have in theory done a bee line toward the hut, I decided to return to the Air Line-Gulfside junction and take the traditional route down.

Once at the hut, I took off my crampons and barebooted to the summit of Madison. Once again, the views were spectacular - probably 100 miles or so. After doing another set of tea photos, I headed back to the hut, put on my Microspikes, and descended the Valley Way. Near the bottom, I took the Fallsway and checked out the multiple waterfalls it approaches - not a bad alternative to the somewhat monotonous Valley Way.


Hike Ratings
Getting To Trailhead: Easy
Destination: Mt. Adams
Length: Moderate
Steepness: Very Difficult
Navigation: Easy
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal
Destination: Mt. Quincy Adams
Length: Moderate
Steepness: Very Difficult
Navigation: Easy
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal
Destination: Mt. Madison
Length: Difficult
Steepness: Very Difficult
Navigation: Easy
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal


Hike Stats
Date Hiked: Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Hike Commenced: 12:36 PM
Parking Elevation: 1,311'
Destination: Mt. Adams
Ascent Commenced: 12:36 PM
Summit Reached: 3:26 PM
Time Elapsed: 02:50
Trailhead Elevation: 1,311'
Summit Elevation: 5,774'
Distance: 4.3 miles
Vertical Gain: 4,513'
Destination: Mt. Quincy Adams
Ascent Commenced: 3:38 PM
Summit Reached: 3:57 PM
Time Elapsed: 00:19
Trailhead Elevation: 5,774'
Summit Elevation: 5,410'
Vertical Gain: 90'
Destination: Mt. Madison
Ascent Commenced: 4:00 PM
Summit Reached: 4:43 PM
Time Elapsed: 00:43
Trailhead Elevation: 5,410'
Summit Elevation: 5,367'
Vertical Gain: 577'
Hike Ended: 7:14 PM
Hike Time Elapsed: 06:38
Hike Vertical Gain: 5,315'


The Air Line Trail trailhead at Appalachia
The Air Line Trail trailhead at Appalachia

Mt. Washington as seen from the summit of Mt. Adams - Click to enlarge
Mt. Washington as seen from the summit of Mt. Adams

Looking across the snowfield on the way to Mt. Quincy Adams
Looking across the snowfield on the way to Mt. Quincy Adams

The Carters and Wildcats as seen from Mt. Quincy Adams - Click to enlarge
The Carters and Wildcats as seen from Mt. Quincy Adams

Looking down the Gulfside Trail
Looking down the Gulfside Trail

Mt. Washington and Mt. Adams as seen from Mt. Madison - Click to enlarge
Mt. Washington and Mt. Adams as seen from Mt. Madison

One of the falls along the Fallsway Trail
One of the falls along the Fallsway Trail

Topographic map of Mt. Adams, Mt. Quincy Adams, Mt. Madison - Click to enlarge


Directions to trailhead: Take US 2 West from Gorham to the Appalachia trailhead/parking lot.

Back to Mt. Adams Profile
Back to Mt. Quincy Adams Profile
Back to Mt. Madison Profile




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