BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 25, 2014: Adams & Madison
Trails: Air Line Trail, Star Lake Trail, Osgood Trail, Valley Way Trail
Summits: Adams, Madison
Hikers: Jessica Davis, Peakbagger (Dennis), and me
Early in the week, the weather forecast for Friday predicted ideal conditions for an above-the-treeline hike. The decision was made for Plan A hike for Friday and a fall-back option in case conditions changed. Slowly, the professionals improved their forecast; lots of sun, virtually no chance of precipitation, and lots of wind early but decreasing throughout the day. Early in the morning the wind level was too high for long-termed exposed hiking but it was expected to decrease to acceptable levels well before we would reach the treeline.
Jessica and I met at the Park & Ride in Concord and headed to Appalachia to meet Dennis Pednault (aka Peakbagger). Initially Michelle Lawson and Laura Light were also planning to join the hike but they were pressed for time, needed to get through the hike early, and set off on their own soon after we started. We left Appalachia on Air Line and planned to follow it to the summit of Adams. By the time we reached the junction with Randolph Path the ice was becoming significant. We were still bare booting but talking about adding some traction. Before long we made the stop and pulled out the light traction.
Even though the ice continued to increase on the trail, light traction was adequate for the conditions. We made our way toward the treeline. Eventually we hiked through the ice and were on hard packed trail with a soft surface. The hiking became much easier to the treeline and beyond. At the treeline we made a brief stop to enjoy the views. We had nearly clear conditions with lots of sun. The view to Mount Adams covered with fresh snow and rime was quite a sight. After getting a couple pictures I noticed Michelle and Laura up ahead on the ridge and took a couple distance shots of them on their climb.
We continued up Durand Ridge following Air Line. According to the weather history, we were being hit with a northwest wind of ~25 mph, which would decrease from there to calm as the day progressed. We made our way through the two junctions with Gulfside and continued on the direct route to the summit via Air Line Trail. With the wind mainly on our backs and our hoods up, we were able to stay relatively comfortable for the climb. The traction from Gulfside to the summit was a little difficult because everything was covered in a fresh layer of rime from the past 24 – 48 hours. It presented beautiful scenery but needed complete attention on the climb with the tricky footing.
We made our way through the final climb to the summit and arrived there generally on book time. We got the usual pictures, enjoyed the wind for a short time, and headed to Star Lake Trail for our descent to the hut. Star Lake Trail took us out of the wind and provided great conditions for our descent. In fact, once we left the summit of Adams we also left the wind for the day.
Star Lake Trail is a steep trail and there were a couple places where extra care was needed but we all made our way down from the summit with no mishaps along the way. Once we made it across the snowfields we had easy hiking to the hut. Once at the hut we stopped for a brief break before our climb to the summit of Madison. While we were at the hut we also met Michelle and Laura again. They commented about watching our descent from Adams.
By this point Michelle and Laura were on their exit hike and we were finishing our hike to Madison with a half mile to the summit remaining. We all said our goodbyes and continued on our way. We started up Madison still on light traction but soon Jessica and I retired ours. The route of the climb had great traction all of the way to the summit. As we gained elevation the wind that had been decreasing through the day was really winding down. We reached the area just below the summit which is usually sheltered from a northwest or westerly wind and found calm conditions, but that isn’t unusual. We made the short final climb to the fully-exposed summit and continued to enjoy calm conditions; that was unusual.
We stayed for a while to enjoy the views, get some pictures, and soon started our exit hike. We headed back down to the hut on the same route we ascended. There was enough rime on the rocks to make us pay close attention but we had no problems on our way down. I learned after-the-fact, while we were at the hut both Barb Roundy and Rich Gambale (I didn’t recognize him without a shirt) were there as well.
Our time at the hut was only long enough to get the light traction back on and we were on our way to the trailhead; only 3.8 miles to go. The hike out was generally uneventful with only a couple sections of ice that required extra focus to get past. Eventually we started to see more and more bare ground. Finally at the second small crossing we retired the traction for the day. We still had some patchy ice to watch for but it didn’t present any real problems on the descent. Soon we were on completely bare ground and then arriving to Appalachia – the loop was complete.
Even with a little wind at the treeline and on to Mount Adams, we enjoyed a terrific day above the treeline in the northern Presidentials. The day started off in great shape and kept improving all of the way back to the trailhead.
Thanks to Jessica and Dennis for a great hike and great company on such a wonderful day in the mountains.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Air Line Trail, Star Lake Trail, Osgood Trail, Valley Way Trail
Summits: Adams, Madison
Hikers: Jessica Davis, Peakbagger (Dennis), and me
Early in the week, the weather forecast for Friday predicted ideal conditions for an above-the-treeline hike. The decision was made for Plan A hike for Friday and a fall-back option in case conditions changed. Slowly, the professionals improved their forecast; lots of sun, virtually no chance of precipitation, and lots of wind early but decreasing throughout the day. Early in the morning the wind level was too high for long-termed exposed hiking but it was expected to decrease to acceptable levels well before we would reach the treeline.
Jessica and I met at the Park & Ride in Concord and headed to Appalachia to meet Dennis Pednault (aka Peakbagger). Initially Michelle Lawson and Laura Light were also planning to join the hike but they were pressed for time, needed to get through the hike early, and set off on their own soon after we started. We left Appalachia on Air Line and planned to follow it to the summit of Adams. By the time we reached the junction with Randolph Path the ice was becoming significant. We were still bare booting but talking about adding some traction. Before long we made the stop and pulled out the light traction.
Even though the ice continued to increase on the trail, light traction was adequate for the conditions. We made our way toward the treeline. Eventually we hiked through the ice and were on hard packed trail with a soft surface. The hiking became much easier to the treeline and beyond. At the treeline we made a brief stop to enjoy the views. We had nearly clear conditions with lots of sun. The view to Mount Adams covered with fresh snow and rime was quite a sight. After getting a couple pictures I noticed Michelle and Laura up ahead on the ridge and took a couple distance shots of them on their climb.
We continued up Durand Ridge following Air Line. According to the weather history, we were being hit with a northwest wind of ~25 mph, which would decrease from there to calm as the day progressed. We made our way through the two junctions with Gulfside and continued on the direct route to the summit via Air Line Trail. With the wind mainly on our backs and our hoods up, we were able to stay relatively comfortable for the climb. The traction from Gulfside to the summit was a little difficult because everything was covered in a fresh layer of rime from the past 24 – 48 hours. It presented beautiful scenery but needed complete attention on the climb with the tricky footing.
We made our way through the final climb to the summit and arrived there generally on book time. We got the usual pictures, enjoyed the wind for a short time, and headed to Star Lake Trail for our descent to the hut. Star Lake Trail took us out of the wind and provided great conditions for our descent. In fact, once we left the summit of Adams we also left the wind for the day.
Star Lake Trail is a steep trail and there were a couple places where extra care was needed but we all made our way down from the summit with no mishaps along the way. Once we made it across the snowfields we had easy hiking to the hut. Once at the hut we stopped for a brief break before our climb to the summit of Madison. While we were at the hut we also met Michelle and Laura again. They commented about watching our descent from Adams.
By this point Michelle and Laura were on their exit hike and we were finishing our hike to Madison with a half mile to the summit remaining. We all said our goodbyes and continued on our way. We started up Madison still on light traction but soon Jessica and I retired ours. The route of the climb had great traction all of the way to the summit. As we gained elevation the wind that had been decreasing through the day was really winding down. We reached the area just below the summit which is usually sheltered from a northwest or westerly wind and found calm conditions, but that isn’t unusual. We made the short final climb to the fully-exposed summit and continued to enjoy calm conditions; that was unusual.
We stayed for a while to enjoy the views, get some pictures, and soon started our exit hike. We headed back down to the hut on the same route we ascended. There was enough rime on the rocks to make us pay close attention but we had no problems on our way down. I learned after-the-fact, while we were at the hut both Barb Roundy and Rich Gambale (I didn’t recognize him without a shirt) were there as well.
Our time at the hut was only long enough to get the light traction back on and we were on our way to the trailhead; only 3.8 miles to go. The hike out was generally uneventful with only a couple sections of ice that required extra focus to get past. Eventually we started to see more and more bare ground. Finally at the second small crossing we retired the traction for the day. We still had some patchy ice to watch for but it didn’t present any real problems on the descent. Soon we were on completely bare ground and then arriving to Appalachia – the loop was complete.
Even with a little wind at the treeline and on to Mount Adams, we enjoyed a terrific day above the treeline in the northern Presidentials. The day started off in great shape and kept improving all of the way back to the trailhead.
Thanks to Jessica and Dennis for a great hike and great company on such a wonderful day in the mountains.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
