| Date: | 1-14-2024 |
| Location: | Pinkham Notch, NH |
| Distance: | 8 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 400′ |
| Total Time: | 4 hr 18 min |
| Parking: | 10+ cars |
| Difficultly Rating: | Green, Blue + |
Made it up to Great Glen Trails in Pinkham Notch for their annual Demo day. I had gone to this event last year and that is where I first tried the Fisher Outback 62 skis.
Last year I spent a lot of time demoing skis, this year I wanted to explore more of this network of trails. From the lodge you must cross under Rt. 16 through a tunnel. For some reason I really enjoy this short tunnel.
From here we go around the new Glen House and dip down into the Glen Meadow Sluice. I decided I would make my way out to the cabin first. So, from here I hopped onto the Libby Trace trail. This was a pretty mellow section.
I arrived at the trail junction near Coffee Pot Rock and decided to take the Great Grumpy Glade. Here the trail climbed a bit, but it was still not to bad for a beginner like me. The tracks for classic and skate skiing were in fantastic condition. I can’t say enough about how good they keep their trails.
The Great Grumpy Trail ended at a junction, and I chose to follow the Blue Split Rock Trail. This was also fun and had some ups and downs. Eventually this would lead me back to the upper part of Libby Trace.
This section of trail is a long steady incline. It is still rated a green, but it took some effort. This trail ended at a little loop next to the cabin.
I got to the cabin and took my skis off. There is a nice view of the Great Gulf and Mt. Adams. I went inside and had a snack and a drink. I checked my Gaia and noticed I did not start the tracking. Lol. So I started it from the cabin. I took a few pics of the interior and then headed back out.
Now it was time for some downhill gliding. Sometimes downhill is harder for me than uphill. I stared back down Libby Trace and hopped onto Dancer trail. This is a fun mellow green that lead me the lower part of Dragons Corridor.
I ended up back at the skate fields and took Fuzzbottom Break back up to the Glen Meadow Sluice and the lodge to meet my buddy for lunch.
After a much need break and some food Jay and I set out together and retraced the sections of trail I missed getting on my GPS. We made it back to the cabin again but the weather was changing and the views were pretty much gone. A snow storm is coming.
From this point on we were skiing in a snow globe. It was beautiful. We skied back toward the bottom and deiced to hit a few of the small connector trails Pipsqueak and Hiccup. Eventually ending up at the sledding hill. There was a large fire going and hot chocolate was for sale so we hung out a bit.
The snow was getting a little heaver now and visibility was low. So we decided to head back to the lodge and get ready for the long drive home. Beautiful day and if you are new to cross country skiing, or looking to try it out I highly recommend Great Glen Trails especially when they have their demo day. (Usually it falls on MLK Weekend).
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