Mount Madison: Part 1

Jack awoke in the darkness of early morning as usual, but in an unfamiliar place. He sat up and looked at his watch. It was 5:00. Sitting up, he could see Nick across the room in one of the bunks, his phone illuminating his open eyes. Jack could hear the sound of another person off to his left, the slow breathing of someone still asleep.

The rest of the members of the ski lodge were still asleep. Jack and Nick rose in the darkness and after dressing, joined a third hiker, Kate in the kitchen on the first floor.

After a quick breakfast. the three departed the lodge in the darkness before dawn, driving towards the Appalachia Trailhead in Randolph, New Hampshire. The trip would take an hour, but was still considerably less than the four it would have taken from Southern New England.

The sun rose during the drive to the hike starting point. The three began to prepare for the hike, lacing boots and checking packs. A fourth hiker would soon be joining them.

The Appalachia lot fills quickly. The trailhead is a jumping off point for many trails that lead to the Presidential Range in the White Mountains. Nick had secured one of the few remaining parking spots. Jack was draining the last sip of coffee from his cup when Bobbi pulled up.

With temperatures already over 50 F, the weather was warmer than usual, and ideal for a mountain hike in the Whites. Nick and Kate both wanted to reach Mount Madison today, working towards completing a list of all 48 peaks over 4000 feet in New Hampshire.

Jack had already summited Madison with Fiona on an infamous summer hike a few years back. Today was a chance to square things up with a less grueling trip to the top.

Nick and Jack had considered two routes to the summit. They could attack the peak climbing from Appalachia via the Valley Way Trail or the Daniel Webster Trail from the east on Route 16.

The mileage was roughly the same, at just under 4 miles to the summit. Jack had descended the ridge down Valley Way in the past, and thought it a better choice. Nick agreed, noting that the Webster trail featured some additional scrambling and was reportedly more difficult to navigate. This was Nick’s hike, and he made the final choice with Kate that the four would ascend via Appalachia. (highlighted in yellow)

Jack carried his usual winter pack. The old Osprey 48 liter was much lighter than it’s normal winter weight. Still, he had come prepared for eventualities. Even though it would be an fabulous fall day, he never hiked in the White Mountains in fall without gear to survive a cold night.

Winter hat and gloves, a balaclava, and headlamp(s) were always in the bag. (Jack always carried two headlamps.) An emergency bivy, and mylar blanket, fire tools, a knife, puffer jacket and fleece were standard as well. A spare set of base layer undergarments, socks and a shirt, a raincoat, map and GPS went in. He carried two liters of water, expecting a 8 mile round trip. There were water sources on the trail, but Jack didn’t think he’d need to draw water from the streams.

The pack felt light to Jack without snowshoes and spikes, goggles and extra gloves, but their time would come soon enough. Jack’s standard safety protocol was to activate his Spot transponder so his relatives at home could see his movements, and to be prepared to send an emergency message to Search and Rescue in the event things went very wrong.

Having arrived at the trailhead on time at 7:30, they could now begin the climb. Jack estimated that the 8 mile hike would take about 8 hours round trip. None of them were young speedy climbers, and the trail to the summit would gain more than 4000 feet of elevation. It would be a steep climb, but they were not in a rush. Kate had considered adding an extra mile to Mount Adams, but it would add an extra two hours to the hike going out and back. Given the shorter days they now faced, it was decided to return to capture that peak at a later time. Jack was relieved. His past hikes to Adams included the infamous Lemon Bar Hike and a Presidential Traverse. Those hikes had made Adams his nemesis, and he loathed the idea of returning.

The four strapped on their packs and with trekking poles in hand, headed into the forest.

Coming soon: Madison hike and summit, part 2.