I had an early vacation and on Tuesday, May 26, went up the Valley Way to Watson and over Madison with two friends, and then down to Madison Spring Hut to refill water before heading over to Adams.
The sign in Appalachia parking lot said the hut was closed, but it being the day after Memorial Day, I figured they just has not changed it yet. Sure enough, the hut was not yet open for business. The dining hall area was stacked with mattresses and furniture, every inch of wood in the place had just been sanded, and the air was filled with saw dust. Only one sink was working, and the bathrooms were not yet open to the public.
If I understood the caretaker correctly, the water-based varnish they originally used was not reacting well to the high humidity, and they had to strip it off every inch of wood and then re-varnish with an oil-based product.
Brian
p.s. While I'm at it, Valley Way and Watson Trails are in good condition. Went up the back end of Adams via Starr Lake. Trail also in good condition, except one spot where there was solid packed snow that was thigh high, over which we were able to walk without sinking. Note that the trail down from Madison Spring Hut to Valley Way is missing its sign at the moment. There were a few short stretches that had some gnarly packed ice or snow, but with a little caution we were able to get over them without traction.
The sign in Appalachia parking lot said the hut was closed, but it being the day after Memorial Day, I figured they just has not changed it yet. Sure enough, the hut was not yet open for business. The dining hall area was stacked with mattresses and furniture, every inch of wood in the place had just been sanded, and the air was filled with saw dust. Only one sink was working, and the bathrooms were not yet open to the public.
If I understood the caretaker correctly, the water-based varnish they originally used was not reacting well to the high humidity, and they had to strip it off every inch of wood and then re-varnish with an oil-based product.
Brian
p.s. While I'm at it, Valley Way and Watson Trails are in good condition. Went up the back end of Adams via Starr Lake. Trail also in good condition, except one spot where there was solid packed snow that was thigh high, over which we were able to walk without sinking. Note that the trail down from Madison Spring Hut to Valley Way is missing its sign at the moment. There were a few short stretches that had some gnarly packed ice or snow, but with a little caution we were able to get over them without traction.
