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Northern Presidentials - page 3 of 3

At the base of the Mt Adams summit cone, not far from Thunderstorm Junction, we diverged right onto the Israel Ridge Path, which soon joined with Lowes Path on its way to the top. This last stretch was difficult for Muffin, as there are numerous gaping crevices between the boulders over which the trail climbs. I had to help her over a few especially wide gaps.

Finally, we were at the top! The views were terrific as the clear and sunny weather was exceeding my wildest expectations. There were already a couple of other hikers at the summit but, even so, Mt Adams has a much more isolated feeling than its somewhat higher neighbor, Mt Washington. To the west, Mt Jefferson towered menacingly at the edge of the Great Gulf and its offshoot, Jefferson Ravine. In the other direction, Mt Madison and tiny Star Lake presided over the eastern end of the Presidential Range.

We still had a ways to go, so after a short rest and snack, we started descending the Airline Trail toward Madison Spring Hut. As the day wore on, Muffin was walking a bit more slowly. I was a little tired too, so the constant rock-hopping was starting to get old.

Outside the now closed-for-the-winter hut, we stopped by Madison Spring to rest. After taking a picture of Muffin drinking, I discovered that the disposable camera was stuck and the film would no longer advance. I had taken our last picture of the day, and I wished more than ever that my digital camera had not been sitting broken at home.

On the move again, we picked our way slowly and carefully up the steep and rocky Osgood Trail to Mt Madison. At last, we reached the summit, where two large cairns pointed the way to the top across a narrow ridge.

The views down into the Great Gulf and back to Madison, Jefferson, and Washington were still exceptionally clear. To the southwest, the twisty line of the auto road snaked its way up the side of Mt Washington. But the afternoon was waning and we were swiftly losing energy. I decided that we would retrace our steps back down the Osgood Trail and take the more sheltered Valley Way back down, rather than risk descending the unfamiliar Daniel Webster Scout Trail in such an exhausted state.

Even on the mostly gentle Valley Way, our descent was painfully slow. In somewhat of a "dog-tired" and confused fog, I was only vaguely aware of our progress. All I wanted to do was sit down for 24 straight hours.

Eventually, we passed under the power lines and emerged from the woods into the Appalachia Trailhead parking lot. I wearily took off my pack and called Art Jolin's White Mountain Shuttle (603-466-2127) from my cell phone. He's from Gorham, so it only took him a few minutes to get there, and we were soon on our way back to our car. He knew the way to Jefferson Notch Rd from the north, so we didn't need to drive all the way down to the Cog Railway Base Rd and backtrack to the trailhead as I would have done. The hike was over, and we were soon on our way home ... sitting down of course.

Muffin at the summit of Mt Adams. Even with a couple of other hikers there, Mt Adams has a much more isolated feeling than its somewhat higher neighbor, Mt Washington.

Self-portrait on Mt Adams. Mt Jefferson and a part of the Great Gulf are visible in the background.

Mt Madison from Mt Adams. The small pond at the base of the summit cone is Star Lake. Madison Spring Hut is hidden behind Mt John Quincy Adams to the left.

Madison Spring Hut. I took this picture from the Airline Trail, right before its junction with the Gulfside.

Muffin getting a drink from Madison Spring. We still had plenty of water left in our bottles, but Muffin likes to drink directly from the water source.

Map

  Northern Presidentials page: 

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