--M.
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Saturday, June 28
Dolly Copp Campground (8:00am) --> Great Gulf Link --> Great Gulf Trail --> Madison Gulf Trail --> Madison Hut (1:00pm) --> Top --> Osgood Trail --> Daniel Webster Scout Trail --> Dolly Copp Campground (6:00pm)
The woods walk from the campground follows the Peabody River along the GG Link & Trail. It's very pleasant, quiet, gently-graded and well-maintained. It was muggy & buggy, but not intolerably. This is an area where standard trail pace can be doubled and good time made without much exertion.
I notice that campsites are now marked (and presumably legal), even right off the trail.
The turn onto the Madison Gulf Trail comes soon after the Osgood Cutoff. The "Map Adventures" topo shows a departure from the West Branch of the Peabody River, but this route stays with water all the way to the Hut, picking up Parapet Brook. Although it was sweaty/muggy, the brook was a cooling friend the whole way. Head-dunking kept things pleasant and the stones in the brook, whether palm- or house-sized, kept things interesting.
Trail-marking in the (capital W) Wilderness area is deliberately low-profile, and it was a fun challenge to keep the trail. I could see it not being quite so amusing, but I never really lost it, so it was all good.
The same is true for the challenges of the headwall. The White Mountain Guide makes all kind of noise about how hard it is ("Caution: The section of this trail on the headwall of Madison Gulf is one of the most difficult in the White Mountains," WMG, 28th ed., p.104), but I never felt stymied. For sure, there are tough spots, but I didn't have a heavy pack; wasn't descending; found all of the hand-holds reachable; never got vertigo on the open scrambles; and never lost my footing on a wet section. As with the minimalist blazing, I could see the steep sections not being so funny if any of these conditions had been reversed, but I made it through without incident and had fun doing it. I do recall repeating to myself "...not recommended for descent" as I looked for the right route through some sections, but it was over all too soon and I topped out to some lovely tiny blooms at the Parapet Trail. There would have been great views here, but the blowing fog allowed only peekaboos of the nearest five miles or so.
The fog played a funny role here, as I had very clear memories of how everything should have been laid out. But Star Lake, Mount Adams and Mount Madison had me turned around and I felt like I was approaching the Hut backwards. It was a goofy reminder of the realities above treeline in this neighborhood, but with a marked trail, cairns, signs, a map and a compass, I had plenty of crutches to keep me "oriented."
I wondered every time I saw crampon marks on the rocks about route-finding in winter. I was able to keep to the trail partially because of the compacted treadway that is a trail's usual hallmark. With a foot or two of snow, cairns maybe buried, and paint all but invisible on the rocks, it's a puzzle how I'd do on this section in February. I have a feeling that winter hikers are tough on vegetation.
The Hut was lightly attended when I got there, with two or three groups having lunch, a hiker negotiating some temporary employment with the Croo, and a couple of people making soup (chicken, this time). I ate at one of the tables and talked with a couple of dads-&-sons who had come up the Howker Ridge the previous afternoon. I filled my water bottles (6 liters total for the day), grateful for the free filtering.
After lunch, I headed for the top. It was alternately easy and difficult to find my way, and I experimented with route-finding skills in the shifting clouds. I recalled one guy's maxim to "head back" if he couldn't see the next cairn. That seemed a bit arbitrary on the summit cone, as finding the way was a binary proposition: you could either do it or you couldn't. When it was too socked in for fooling around, I waited a minute or two for a clearing. No troubles.
On the other hand, the tippy rocks that make up the summits of the northern Pressies can get old as the afternoon wears. As I crossed the Parapet junction and moved on down the Daniel Webster Scout trail, I looked forward to getting to the firmer terrain below treeline. I met a couple of guys coming up who were trying to figure out a place for the night. They mentioned going down the Madison Gulf trail and asked my opinion. I gave them the book's warnings and agreed that heavy packs,a descent, and maybe rain might make it not-so-attractive. I suggested The Perch and helped them find the distance from where we stood (about another four miles).
The pace picked up again once I got past the scree, and the walk back to Dolly Copp was pleasant and gentle. As I arrived at my campsite, the rain began to open up and it was time for a shower and a pizza.
When planning a hike, I try to focus on the most driving factor(s): bugs, lightning, traction, weather, snow-base or whatever. This was an interesting hike because the answer to this question kept changing, and yet never resulted in a disqualifier. I wish there had been better visibility and lower humidity, but one takes what one gets with precious hiking time, and this one made up in spades for what it lacked with these minor cavils. I HIGHLY recommend the Madison Gulf for the interested & prepared, and can attest to the close spacing of cairns on the summit cone. Poles were helpful here.
--M.
Dolly Copp Campground (8:00am) --> Great Gulf Link --> Great Gulf Trail --> Madison Gulf Trail --> Madison Hut (1:00pm) --> Top --> Osgood Trail --> Daniel Webster Scout Trail --> Dolly Copp Campground (6:00pm)
The woods walk from the campground follows the Peabody River along the GG Link & Trail. It's very pleasant, quiet, gently-graded and well-maintained. It was muggy & buggy, but not intolerably. This is an area where standard trail pace can be doubled and good time made without much exertion.
I notice that campsites are now marked (and presumably legal), even right off the trail.
The turn onto the Madison Gulf Trail comes soon after the Osgood Cutoff. The "Map Adventures" topo shows a departure from the West Branch of the Peabody River, but this route stays with water all the way to the Hut, picking up Parapet Brook. Although it was sweaty/muggy, the brook was a cooling friend the whole way. Head-dunking kept things pleasant and the stones in the brook, whether palm- or house-sized, kept things interesting.
Trail-marking in the (capital W) Wilderness area is deliberately low-profile, and it was a fun challenge to keep the trail. I could see it not being quite so amusing, but I never really lost it, so it was all good.
The same is true for the challenges of the headwall. The White Mountain Guide makes all kind of noise about how hard it is ("Caution: The section of this trail on the headwall of Madison Gulf is one of the most difficult in the White Mountains," WMG, 28th ed., p.104), but I never felt stymied. For sure, there are tough spots, but I didn't have a heavy pack; wasn't descending; found all of the hand-holds reachable; never got vertigo on the open scrambles; and never lost my footing on a wet section. As with the minimalist blazing, I could see the steep sections not being so funny if any of these conditions had been reversed, but I made it through without incident and had fun doing it. I do recall repeating to myself "...not recommended for descent" as I looked for the right route through some sections, but it was over all too soon and I topped out to some lovely tiny blooms at the Parapet Trail. There would have been great views here, but the blowing fog allowed only peekaboos of the nearest five miles or so.
The fog played a funny role here, as I had very clear memories of how everything should have been laid out. But Star Lake, Mount Adams and Mount Madison had me turned around and I felt like I was approaching the Hut backwards. It was a goofy reminder of the realities above treeline in this neighborhood, but with a marked trail, cairns, signs, a map and a compass, I had plenty of crutches to keep me "oriented."
I wondered every time I saw crampon marks on the rocks about route-finding in winter. I was able to keep to the trail partially because of the compacted treadway that is a trail's usual hallmark. With a foot or two of snow, cairns maybe buried, and paint all but invisible on the rocks, it's a puzzle how I'd do on this section in February. I have a feeling that winter hikers are tough on vegetation.
The Hut was lightly attended when I got there, with two or three groups having lunch, a hiker negotiating some temporary employment with the Croo, and a couple of people making soup (chicken, this time). I ate at one of the tables and talked with a couple of dads-&-sons who had come up the Howker Ridge the previous afternoon. I filled my water bottles (6 liters total for the day), grateful for the free filtering.
After lunch, I headed for the top. It was alternately easy and difficult to find my way, and I experimented with route-finding skills in the shifting clouds. I recalled one guy's maxim to "head back" if he couldn't see the next cairn. That seemed a bit arbitrary on the summit cone, as finding the way was a binary proposition: you could either do it or you couldn't. When it was too socked in for fooling around, I waited a minute or two for a clearing. No troubles.
On the other hand, the tippy rocks that make up the summits of the northern Pressies can get old as the afternoon wears. As I crossed the Parapet junction and moved on down the Daniel Webster Scout trail, I looked forward to getting to the firmer terrain below treeline. I met a couple of guys coming up who were trying to figure out a place for the night. They mentioned going down the Madison Gulf trail and asked my opinion. I gave them the book's warnings and agreed that heavy packs,a descent, and maybe rain might make it not-so-attractive. I suggested The Perch and helped them find the distance from where we stood (about another four miles).
The pace picked up again once I got past the scree, and the walk back to Dolly Copp was pleasant and gentle. As I arrived at my campsite, the rain began to open up and it was time for a shower and a pizza.
When planning a hike, I try to focus on the most driving factor(s): bugs, lightning, traction, weather, snow-base or whatever. This was an interesting hike because the answer to this question kept changing, and yet never resulted in a disqualifier. I wish there had been better visibility and lower humidity, but one takes what one gets with precious hiking time, and this one made up in spades for what it lacked with these minor cavils. I HIGHLY recommend the Madison Gulf for the interested & prepared, and can attest to the close spacing of cairns on the summit cone. Poles were helpful here.
--M.
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