OldMan
New member
Last Wednesday the weekend weather forecast looked rainy but Friday looked to be a blue sky day so I booked off work to head north for a weekend of hiking. I had taken the last 2 weekends off to get some yard chores done so I was ready for some elevation. Since Friday looked to be the pick of the weekend I headed over to the Appalachia for a hike up to Madison and Adams and if my legs would carry me, Jefferson. Well mother nature did not disappoint me. The sky was clear and the Valley Way trail dry. I really didn't see any snow until just after the tent site and then encountered intermittent monorail. For the most part it could be walked around. I was carrying my snowshoes but hoped it was there last free ride. At the hut I dropped my pack and headed up Mt Madison.
I had not seen a soul yet today but finally on my hike back down to the hut I saw a couple of hikers making their way to Mt Adams. I had a quick snack at the hut and headed over to Mt Adams. Another hiker was kind enough to take a summit photo of me on Mt Adams with Mt Washington in the background.
I love the views on Mt Adams looking towards Mt Washington & Mt Jefferson...
And of course Mt Madison looks so small from here...
I legs seem to be holding up so I decided to continue on to Mt Jefferson. There were several snow fields to cross along the way. Since I was the first to cross them today there was no track to follow. I carefully poked ahead with my poles to find the firm path to follow. The final snow field before Mt Jefferson has quite a slope to it so I decided to put on my snowshoes to cross it. The snow was very soft and even in showshoes I was slipping a bit. I had only been at Mt Jefferson once before but it was completely in the fog last time so it was quite a treat to see the views. I liked the view of Mt Washington in the background of the very large cairn.
And boy, is the Mt Jefferson summit really just a pile of rocks...
Well I was glad to be at the turning point. However looking back on the Gulfside Trail I clearly had some more elevation to climb before I would be heading down the home stretch.
A great day to be above treeline (wish I'd remembered to put on sunscreen... ouch... I'm feeling like a red neck). Yahoo... I still have 2 more days to hike!
I had not seen a soul yet today but finally on my hike back down to the hut I saw a couple of hikers making their way to Mt Adams. I had a quick snack at the hut and headed over to Mt Adams. Another hiker was kind enough to take a summit photo of me on Mt Adams with Mt Washington in the background.
I love the views on Mt Adams looking towards Mt Washington & Mt Jefferson...
And of course Mt Madison looks so small from here...
I legs seem to be holding up so I decided to continue on to Mt Jefferson. There were several snow fields to cross along the way. Since I was the first to cross them today there was no track to follow. I carefully poked ahead with my poles to find the firm path to follow. The final snow field before Mt Jefferson has quite a slope to it so I decided to put on my snowshoes to cross it. The snow was very soft and even in showshoes I was slipping a bit. I had only been at Mt Jefferson once before but it was completely in the fog last time so it was quite a treat to see the views. I liked the view of Mt Washington in the background of the very large cairn.
And boy, is the Mt Jefferson summit really just a pile of rocks...
Well I was glad to be at the turning point. However looking back on the Gulfside Trail I clearly had some more elevation to climb before I would be heading down the home stretch.
A great day to be above treeline (wish I'd remembered to put on sunscreen... ouch... I'm feeling like a red neck). Yahoo... I still have 2 more days to hike!
