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Mt Adams, Mt Madison - page 5 of 5

It was also pretty crowded inside the hut. The croo were busy preparing dinner. I saw them making some kind of interesting bread and what looked like apple crumb pies. Too bad I wasn't staying overnight! One of the best things about Madison Spring Hut is the spring. They had a special tap on the counter between the kitchen and dining area for filling up water bottles. The water was nice and cold and refreshing. I bought a t-shirt, sat at one of the tables, and drank a liter of cold water while looking at my map. It felt good to get out of the sun for a while.

Soon, it was time to move on. I refilled two bottles, which I figured would be enough for the rest of the day, and went outside to the rear of the hut to start my climb up the Osgood Trail. The trail was a bit steeper than the route up Mt Adams, and I had to pick my way carefully over the large boulders. I met one group on their way down, and another hiker also on the way up, passed me by. After about a half hour, I abruptly arrived at the summit, where two large cairns pointed the way across a narrow ridge to the top. Once again, I was lucky to find someone who volunteered to take my picture.

The views down into the Great Gulf, and back to Madison, Jefferson, and Washington were great. I could see the twisty line of the auto road snaking its way up the northeast side of the mountain. But all good things must end. The afternoon was waning, and I had to get back down to my car. I had planned to take the Gulfside Trail back to Lowe's Path and go back down that way, but I was tired and getting sunburned, and didn't feel much like staying above treeline for that length of time. After retracing my steps back down the Osgood Trail, I decided to take the more sheltered and gentle Valley Way Trail back down to the Appalachia Trailhead and hope to find a ride the mile-and-a-half back to my car.

Passing up the hut this time, I started immediately down the Valley Way, soon entering the scrub and then the woods where I could get some relief for my sunburned forehead. Anxious to get down and worried about finding a ride by to my car, I hurried down the trail a bit too fast, which gave me sore legs and knees for several days afterward.

When I got back down to the Appalachia Trailhead, I was lucky to run into two couples who were coming down the Airline Trail at the same time. I told them about my situation, and they were nice enough to offer me a ride back to Lowe's Store. I hadn't realized it when I asked, but one of the women had fallen and had broken her nose and cut a gash in her cheek, and they were trying to get her to agree to go to a hospital and have it looked at. One of the men drove me to my car while the rest of them got the injured woman into a car. She seemed to be all right, but she must have been in a lot of pain. I hope she heals quickly.

Me on Mt Madison. The Madison summit area is small and rocky, just like it looks from the distance. Mt Adams is directly in back of me.

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Mt Washington from the summit of Mt Madison. The auto road is clearly visible ascending the northeast side of the mountain.

washington from madison.jpg (202037 bytes)

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