Flags on the 48 - Mt Madison

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MichaelJ

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We gathered at 7am at Appalachia: MichaelJ, Una_dogger, SkierSteve, Cymbidium, Fran, Silverfox, Rocket21, Trainwreck, and the canines, Terra & Zoey. Two steps into the woods and the rain started. We stayed dry thanks to the leaf canopy but soon it was coming down hard enough that I stopped to safely stow the camera and put on a pack cover. About 10 minutes later it stopped. Oh, well.

We made our way up the Air Line and as we rose, realized that we'd come up out of an undercast visible through the trees. I put on an extra burst to break treeline before it rose or vanished, and as we came out onto the rocks above Chemins de Dame, we had long and fantastic views out King Ravine over a dissipating undercast. It was simply beautiful, and we took about 15 minutes there to regroup and have snacks.

I noticed wisps over the Madison summit from the far side, and by the time we got to the hut, the summit was ensconced in a grey veil. We took another break at the hut to adjust layers and top off water, then started the climb into the mist. It had taken us only 3 hours to get to the hut as a complete group, and we got to the summit shortly after 11:00am.

We had the flag flying around 11:30am, then adjusted our packs, found seats, and started sharing around lunch. Some very special treats came out, including cookies and mozzarella/prosciutto whirls. Thank you!

At noon I led our group in the National Anthem and briefly spoke on my memories of who I almost lost, and who I knew from the towers, on 9/11. Then we all sat back to huddle against the wind. Over the course of the next two hours we'd see about a dozen hikers, including the FTFC's own Keith with his companions, and our own Doublebow leading an AMC trip up over Madison from the east.

At 2:00pm I led our group in God Bless America, then we quickly stowed the flag. It had gone from being a warm, foggy breeze to a cold, windblown mist, and we wanted to get down the rocky Watson Path before things got slippery. Unfortunately, an unstable rock took out Trainwreck after we took a few steps. First aid was administered, as well as beauty tips for enormous bumps in the center of the forehead, and we continued down. The mist turned to rain and the rocks did get slippery, so it was slow going to treeline. Once down, we branched off to the Brookside. This was slow-going due to its steepness and our now-tired legs. I would say this would be a great route to ascend in the future, but not one to come down again. Had we known, we might have chosen differently, especially given the misty rocks.

But all's good, and we eventually made it all safely down to Appalachia, where we saw MtnPa down from Adams. After some socializing, it was off to Bob & Geri's for more socializing and relaxing. Thank you SO much to them both for being such gracious and wonderful hosts.

It wasn't the most view-filled Fot48, but it was still as strong a moment as ever when that flag stood out in the breeze. A big thank-you to everyone on Team Madison.

Pictures coming soon…
 
We gathered at 7am at Appalachia
If anyone noticed a grey car coasting slowly through the Appalachia parking lot around this time, that was me. I waved at a few faces I recognized from pics but only got bewildering looks back. :D

Nice job ladies, guys, and four footed friends. :cool:
 
Great Job!!! I know that we had ZERO views from N. Kinsman, but the weather was dry and non breezy. I can only imagine what it was like up there on Madison!! :eek: I'm sorry to hear that Trainwreck had a tumble, but all in all it sounds like you all had a nice day and great company!
 
It was a really good group and I got to redline a few new trails; Airline, Watson Path, Brookside. All awesome trails and I intend to do this loop in reverse on a nice sunny day; and add in Adams.

Thanks again for everyone who participated -- we had plenty of Flag part sherpas and the two dogs got on wonderfully. Although we didn't know it until just before she left, Ginette is a veterinarian, so I was very happy to have been able to (with the help of Skiersteve and Zoe) represent hiking dog owners in a really positive light to her.

The treats provided by Cymbidium were top shelf, and the surprise addition of ADKBVI (Tim and Val) was a very pleasant one!!!

The beautiful tenor voice of MichaelJ brought tears to my eyes as a small burst of wind arrived just in time to unfurl our flag for the duration of the Star Spangled Banner.

Although we didn't see any other flags today, we all felt assured that an American Flag was flying on each and every peak, thanks to the last minute come-throughs of many of our friends here.

The Gathering at TarryHo was just my style, and I very much appreciate the lengths that Bob, Geri, and Jim went to accomodate us.

:)
 
Michael, geat report! Fran and I were proud to be a part of the group. We too chose to descend via lower Bruin and Brookside. Very slippery and sketchy in more than a few places.:eek: Nice to finally meet some new Views friends. You could make some extra money singing the National Anthem at Red Sox games!!!
 
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Michael, a great BIG thank you to your Flags On The 48 team!

Also, it was a pleasure to finally meet you and Sabrina when I stopped by at Bob & Geri’s place for a few minutes just to say howdy!
 
Good to see you (and everyone else) again at Bob and Geri's. Congrats on a great hike. Hope to hear your singing voice one day.
 
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Thanks to all for a great day, had a blast. Loved how well Zoe and Terra got along, like they had been hiking together for ever. Anyway, hope to see you all on the trail again soon. Big ups to Bob and Jerry for the after party, exceptional hosts!!!
 
Thanks to all of you who cheered me on the last few feet. As always, bringing up the rear. I am adjusting to the way Madison rearranged my face, as I look like a combination between a unicorn and a racoon.
Many thanks to Bob and Geri who hosted us for the weekend, and to all of you for putting up with me.
Till next year.
Sandy
 
Thanks!

We really appreciated the opportunity to tag along with this great crowd for our first trip up Air Line! MichaelJ and Una_dogger made the trip go so quickly by taking our minds off our footsteps and chatting about topics from new homes to Pilates to ...chaffing!:eek:

It was a pleasure to see Rocket21 and Silverfox again, as well as to meet many new friends. Sandy, we're so sorry to hear about your spill on the descent! We hope you're feeling better each day.

MichaelJ's voice singing the Star-Spangled Banner was beautiful enough to bring tears to my eyes.

And we learned a valuable lesson - you need to bring gourmet food to share with your hiking partners at the summit when you travel with these crowds! :p How embarassing not to have *something* to share!!

We left the summit around 1:30pm, because I (Valerie) am very, very slow on the downhill. We stopped for a couple minutes at the hut and then went down Valley Way. Rocks were wet and a little slippery.

Thank you again for letting us join into your group! Although the views were less than stellar, the flag was beautiful and the feelings of patriotism and remembrance were strong.

Valerie
 
Love that new avatar, MichaelJ! :D

Well, I am still feeling the warm and fuzzies ...a great event and what a great group of people to share it with....so nice to hike with old friends and make some new ones. Always grateful to the forums for bringing us all together.

-Sabrina
 
Nice trip report and pics Mike and Sabrina! Michael, do you do any renditions of your singing for other folks to bring to their summits if they can't carry a tune? ;)

Liked the idea of the candle as well, makes me think how awesome a night time event could be!
 
Awesome job! Wish I could have been in NH this past weekend. I def miss it. Keep posting...it will keep me sane. :rolleyes:

grouseking

How's it going, Grouseking?? If you are up north for Flags next year, please sign up with us!

Nice trip report and pics Mike and Sabrina! Michael, do you do any renditions of your singing for other folks to bring to their summits if they can't carry a tune? ;)

Liked the idea of the candle as well, makes me think how awesome a night time event could be!

I have a video, but its up to him.....
 
Nice report - sorry to hear about the mishap - nice to take different trails but probably not a good day for the Watson Path (I am not being judgemental - I would have done it too!) Brookside is the best - glad to see others are using that greatly under used trail - everyone complains about the Valley Way and no one does the Brookside!
 
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