Adventurous
New member
First of all – I apologize for the lengthy report but a lot happened throughout the day.
The Plan: Valley Way up – Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Monroe and Ammo down
Assumption: We gave ourselves 11 hours to do the 15-16ish mile hike
Reality: Sunny warm days make for messy conditions
The crew: Hui Yeng and Mike Costanza
The Finishers: Hui Yeng and I finished the W48 on Monroe
Prequel: We started our winter season out with no intention of finishing the W48. Our first winter hike was Nancy with MEB the day after Christmas and then some 4k’s in Maine. It wasn’t until early February that the thought of finishing crossed my mind – I had 17 left at this point but it was feasible. Thanks to mtnmama and mtnpa for their hospitality this winter!!
Logistics Planning: In the days leading up to the weekend, I checked multiple sites for weather several times a day. When the reality set in that Saturday the 17th would be a Presi day – I sent out a few e-mails to recruit a few friends to join. While most of our friends were in Baxter or already had plans, I knew it would be difficult to find anyone to join us…never mind finding a ride back to Appalachia. The stars aligned and Mike Costanza would drive to Appalachia and hike Madison and Adams with us. Chinooktrail was going to meet us on Washington with Geneva and give us a ride back to the cottage we rented in Twin Mountain. Shizzmac said he could also give us a ride and might join for part of the hike.
The Beginning of the Day: The drive to the trailhead was rather unmotivating – it was overcast and there was drizzle on the windshield. We arrived at Appalachia to find Shizzmac arranging gear in his truck. We continued the winter footwear discussion…each of us decided on something different – we were all in agreement to leave the snowshoes behind. We started up Valley Way a little after 8am. There was very little snow but there was a thin, slippery cover of ice and snow which required a little bit of traction. We ran into Big Earl and Sue about an hour into the hike. Mike spent some time hiking with them while Hui Yeng and I continued on. We hiked out of the cloud cover by 9:30 and morale improved quickly. We stopped for a snack around 10am and saw a couple guys flying up the trail. It turned out to be Dunbar and ColdRiverRun – great to see you again Steve and nice meeting you for the first time Cory. Mike caught up to us shortly before the hut.
Madison: We dropped our packs a short distance up the trail to Madison. The conditions were a mix of ice, bare ground and rock hopping. Hui Yeng quickly ditched the crampons and Mike and I eventually gave in and left our microspikes too. We found it easier to rock hop to avoid the ice…we laughed because this might have been the one hike that Yaktrax would have come in handy. We carefully picked our way up to the summit and were pleasantly surprised to have it to ourselves. We spent some time admiring our surroundings, capturing some of the views with pictures and just enjoying the incredible day that we were given. Going down a bit more difficult and I was regretting stashing the poles with the pack. We retrieved all the gear that we ditched, put the traction back on and continued to the hut for some refueling. We asked Mike what his plan was and were happy to hear that he wanted to join us for the rest of the hike.
Adams: I knew that Kevin would be finishing his W48 on Madison and was heading up Adams first with Judy, Emma, bikehikeskifish and mtruman. I was looking forward to crossing paths with Kevin and his group. There was barely any wind, no clouds and the sun was out in full force. Needless to say, it was HOT and we had already stripped down to our lightest layer. Hui Yeng and I were very envious of Mike’s shorts – that was the clothing of choice today. The snow was soft so the postholing started on the way up to Adams. We eventually encountered the same mixed conditions as Madison so the traction went back in the pack until Ammo. We continued on and I heard someone say my name – it was Silverfox whom I hadn’t seen since 2008 when we did Isolation for 9-11. He said he wanted to hear about our day so I told him that I’d write a report for this one. I met Val and Ali for the first time and then eventually ran into Kevin and Tim – conditions on his route, unfortunately, prevented his companions from continuing. We congratulated him in advance and he gave each of us a bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs (they provided a nice boost of energy before Jefferson). We arrived at the summit of Adams a few minutes later to find it packed. I sent Chinook a text to tell her that we were on Adams and behind schedule.
Jefferson: Now the challenge started. There was a lot of snow between Adams and Jefferson which meant the real postholing was just beginning. It was soft, not real packed out and it was deep. There was a group of backpackers that gave in and put their snowshoes on. We didn’t see them again so we’re not sure if it made much of a difference. The snow eventually turned to soft mud and water - the rocks became our friends. We rockhopped our way rather quickly to Edmands Col where stopped for a much needed bite to eat. Next up were the snowfields on Jefferson. The snow was so soft that we didn’t bother putting traction on…the snowfields were a non issue. We soon reached the junction for the loop over Jefferson. The climb was steep and it just kept on going. I now see what Hui Yeng was talking about. Washington and Monroe seemed to be so far away that I was beginning to doubt that I would make it…thoughts of bailing down Jewell started to pop into my head. I kept my thoughts to myself because negativity can be contageous. The summit of Jefferson soon appeared and what a great sight it was. We stayed long enough to snap summit pictures and text Chinook our whereabouts.
Washington: While Washington is over 6k, it’s a gradual climb...unlike Jefferson. While it wasn’t difficult, the distance was deceiving. Before reaching the junction for Clay, I left Chinook a message letting her know how far behind we were and that we could call Shizzy for a ride (assuming he was back from his hike). Now that we didn’t have an official ride and were at the point of no return, we decided not to worry about it…things always work themselves out and indeed they did. We reached the junction of Clay and started to discuss our options - over or around. Two guys chimed in and suggested going around because we would encounter deep postholing if we went over. Around we went – we did posthole but it wasn’t too bad. We met the nicest couple (I apologize for not remembering names) on this section of trail – it turns out they’d be the last hikers that we’d see all day…they were headed down Jewell. Washington was slowly getting closer and closer…at least we thought. We reached a junction that said 1.4mi...what…really…it’s right there. Oh well, it is what it is. We kept on going until we reached the cog. A light went on and we all thought it was a brilliant idea to hike the cog up to the summit. There wasn’t really any snow or ice on it so why not. It was better than postholing…or so we thought. The cog eventually curved around to the summit – the wind started picking up and there was quite a bit of distance between the cog and the ground below. I was definitely nervous, the legs started turning to jello but I kept going, one slow step at a time. Relief set in when the cog was level with the ground and we were at the summit. We took shelter at the summit – signed the summit log, checked the temp – it was 35 degrees, layered up, chowed down and then headed out to take our summit pictures.
Monroe: It had been such a long day, the energy was waning and little did we know, were about to encounter the worst conditions of the day. Crawford Path between Washington and LOC was eventually labeled suckfest because of the snowmelt. We tried rock hopping but there weren’t many visible. We tried stepping on untracked snow but we postholed into water. The realization set in that the easiest way down was staying on the trail…or should I say stream. Water was plentiful…it covered the trail and quickly filled our boots. We sloshed through it all the way to the hut. We dropped our packs at the hut and started up Monroe. My legs went on strike…they were tricked into believing that we were headed down. The .3mi to Monroe was rather slow. I had to stop often because my legs didn’t want to go up anymore. Just before 6:30pm, Hui Yeng and I reached the summit of Monroe and finished the W48 together…CONGRATULATIONS Hui Yeng and thanks for joining us Mike!!! The celebration didn’t last long because we still had the hike back to the car and Ammo stood in our way.
The Rest of the Evening: We made it back to LOC, I called Shizzy - he agreed to pick us up at Marshfield Station at 8pm. We knew we we’d be using our headlamps shortly but the sunset was too amazing to not enjoy. It was a gorgeous conclusion to our finish. We made quick time of the very steep and slippery hike down Ammo. Hiking at times wasn’t an option…buttsliding occurred naturally so we went with it. We were all happy to see Shizzy waiting for us in the parking lot.
Lesson Learned: While hiking the cog seems like a great idea at the time, your shoes will end up with tar on them and the tar will manage to show up on every piece of clothing that you’re wearing.
Pictures from the day are posted here: http://adventurous-.smugmug.com/Hiking/New-Hampshire/Madison-to-Monroe-3-17-12/22010668_jFV9t8
The prize for our hard work:
The Plan: Valley Way up – Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Monroe and Ammo down
Assumption: We gave ourselves 11 hours to do the 15-16ish mile hike
Reality: Sunny warm days make for messy conditions
The crew: Hui Yeng and Mike Costanza
The Finishers: Hui Yeng and I finished the W48 on Monroe
Prequel: We started our winter season out with no intention of finishing the W48. Our first winter hike was Nancy with MEB the day after Christmas and then some 4k’s in Maine. It wasn’t until early February that the thought of finishing crossed my mind – I had 17 left at this point but it was feasible. Thanks to mtnmama and mtnpa for their hospitality this winter!!
Logistics Planning: In the days leading up to the weekend, I checked multiple sites for weather several times a day. When the reality set in that Saturday the 17th would be a Presi day – I sent out a few e-mails to recruit a few friends to join. While most of our friends were in Baxter or already had plans, I knew it would be difficult to find anyone to join us…never mind finding a ride back to Appalachia. The stars aligned and Mike Costanza would drive to Appalachia and hike Madison and Adams with us. Chinooktrail was going to meet us on Washington with Geneva and give us a ride back to the cottage we rented in Twin Mountain. Shizzmac said he could also give us a ride and might join for part of the hike.
The Beginning of the Day: The drive to the trailhead was rather unmotivating – it was overcast and there was drizzle on the windshield. We arrived at Appalachia to find Shizzmac arranging gear in his truck. We continued the winter footwear discussion…each of us decided on something different – we were all in agreement to leave the snowshoes behind. We started up Valley Way a little after 8am. There was very little snow but there was a thin, slippery cover of ice and snow which required a little bit of traction. We ran into Big Earl and Sue about an hour into the hike. Mike spent some time hiking with them while Hui Yeng and I continued on. We hiked out of the cloud cover by 9:30 and morale improved quickly. We stopped for a snack around 10am and saw a couple guys flying up the trail. It turned out to be Dunbar and ColdRiverRun – great to see you again Steve and nice meeting you for the first time Cory. Mike caught up to us shortly before the hut.
Madison: We dropped our packs a short distance up the trail to Madison. The conditions were a mix of ice, bare ground and rock hopping. Hui Yeng quickly ditched the crampons and Mike and I eventually gave in and left our microspikes too. We found it easier to rock hop to avoid the ice…we laughed because this might have been the one hike that Yaktrax would have come in handy. We carefully picked our way up to the summit and were pleasantly surprised to have it to ourselves. We spent some time admiring our surroundings, capturing some of the views with pictures and just enjoying the incredible day that we were given. Going down a bit more difficult and I was regretting stashing the poles with the pack. We retrieved all the gear that we ditched, put the traction back on and continued to the hut for some refueling. We asked Mike what his plan was and were happy to hear that he wanted to join us for the rest of the hike.
Adams: I knew that Kevin would be finishing his W48 on Madison and was heading up Adams first with Judy, Emma, bikehikeskifish and mtruman. I was looking forward to crossing paths with Kevin and his group. There was barely any wind, no clouds and the sun was out in full force. Needless to say, it was HOT and we had already stripped down to our lightest layer. Hui Yeng and I were very envious of Mike’s shorts – that was the clothing of choice today. The snow was soft so the postholing started on the way up to Adams. We eventually encountered the same mixed conditions as Madison so the traction went back in the pack until Ammo. We continued on and I heard someone say my name – it was Silverfox whom I hadn’t seen since 2008 when we did Isolation for 9-11. He said he wanted to hear about our day so I told him that I’d write a report for this one. I met Val and Ali for the first time and then eventually ran into Kevin and Tim – conditions on his route, unfortunately, prevented his companions from continuing. We congratulated him in advance and he gave each of us a bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs (they provided a nice boost of energy before Jefferson). We arrived at the summit of Adams a few minutes later to find it packed. I sent Chinook a text to tell her that we were on Adams and behind schedule.
Jefferson: Now the challenge started. There was a lot of snow between Adams and Jefferson which meant the real postholing was just beginning. It was soft, not real packed out and it was deep. There was a group of backpackers that gave in and put their snowshoes on. We didn’t see them again so we’re not sure if it made much of a difference. The snow eventually turned to soft mud and water - the rocks became our friends. We rockhopped our way rather quickly to Edmands Col where stopped for a much needed bite to eat. Next up were the snowfields on Jefferson. The snow was so soft that we didn’t bother putting traction on…the snowfields were a non issue. We soon reached the junction for the loop over Jefferson. The climb was steep and it just kept on going. I now see what Hui Yeng was talking about. Washington and Monroe seemed to be so far away that I was beginning to doubt that I would make it…thoughts of bailing down Jewell started to pop into my head. I kept my thoughts to myself because negativity can be contageous. The summit of Jefferson soon appeared and what a great sight it was. We stayed long enough to snap summit pictures and text Chinook our whereabouts.
Washington: While Washington is over 6k, it’s a gradual climb...unlike Jefferson. While it wasn’t difficult, the distance was deceiving. Before reaching the junction for Clay, I left Chinook a message letting her know how far behind we were and that we could call Shizzy for a ride (assuming he was back from his hike). Now that we didn’t have an official ride and were at the point of no return, we decided not to worry about it…things always work themselves out and indeed they did. We reached the junction of Clay and started to discuss our options - over or around. Two guys chimed in and suggested going around because we would encounter deep postholing if we went over. Around we went – we did posthole but it wasn’t too bad. We met the nicest couple (I apologize for not remembering names) on this section of trail – it turns out they’d be the last hikers that we’d see all day…they were headed down Jewell. Washington was slowly getting closer and closer…at least we thought. We reached a junction that said 1.4mi...what…really…it’s right there. Oh well, it is what it is. We kept on going until we reached the cog. A light went on and we all thought it was a brilliant idea to hike the cog up to the summit. There wasn’t really any snow or ice on it so why not. It was better than postholing…or so we thought. The cog eventually curved around to the summit – the wind started picking up and there was quite a bit of distance between the cog and the ground below. I was definitely nervous, the legs started turning to jello but I kept going, one slow step at a time. Relief set in when the cog was level with the ground and we were at the summit. We took shelter at the summit – signed the summit log, checked the temp – it was 35 degrees, layered up, chowed down and then headed out to take our summit pictures.
Monroe: It had been such a long day, the energy was waning and little did we know, were about to encounter the worst conditions of the day. Crawford Path between Washington and LOC was eventually labeled suckfest because of the snowmelt. We tried rock hopping but there weren’t many visible. We tried stepping on untracked snow but we postholed into water. The realization set in that the easiest way down was staying on the trail…or should I say stream. Water was plentiful…it covered the trail and quickly filled our boots. We sloshed through it all the way to the hut. We dropped our packs at the hut and started up Monroe. My legs went on strike…they were tricked into believing that we were headed down. The .3mi to Monroe was rather slow. I had to stop often because my legs didn’t want to go up anymore. Just before 6:30pm, Hui Yeng and I reached the summit of Monroe and finished the W48 together…CONGRATULATIONS Hui Yeng and thanks for joining us Mike!!! The celebration didn’t last long because we still had the hike back to the car and Ammo stood in our way.
The Rest of the Evening: We made it back to LOC, I called Shizzy - he agreed to pick us up at Marshfield Station at 8pm. We knew we we’d be using our headlamps shortly but the sunset was too amazing to not enjoy. It was a gorgeous conclusion to our finish. We made quick time of the very steep and slippery hike down Ammo. Hiking at times wasn’t an option…buttsliding occurred naturally so we went with it. We were all happy to see Shizzy waiting for us in the parking lot.
Lesson Learned: While hiking the cog seems like a great idea at the time, your shoes will end up with tar on them and the tar will manage to show up on every piece of clothing that you’re wearing.
Pictures from the day are posted here: http://adventurous-.smugmug.com/Hiking/New-Hampshire/Madison-to-Monroe-3-17-12/22010668_jFV9t8
The prize for our hard work:
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