Outdoor Diversion: Madison and Adams on an Early Winter Day

Summit: Mount Madison (5,367'), Mount Adams (5,774')
Trail route: Valley Way, Osgood Trail, Air Line Connector, Air Line
Trail conditions: All trails were well packed with occasional sections of ice and some bare rock
Weather: Cold with temps in the teens, calm to light wind on the summits, high clouds and blue sky
Total miles: 10.1
Total time: 8:26

Throughout the week I was watching the weather for a possible hike above treeline. With fair weather and tolerable winds in the forecast it was a go for Mount Madison and Mount Adams. I would be hiking with Jill, Danielle, Guy, Amy, Jim, Steve and another hiker joining our group for today, Nataliya who would only be hiking to Mount Madison. We would all have the option to hike one summit if the winds proved to be too strong. That would be determined at Madison Spring Hut.

Arriving at Appalachia parking lot proved to be a challenge as the entire parking area had a smooth layer of ice on it and was extremely slippery. The microspikes were put on as soon as I got out of the car. I left my snowshoes in the car and would not be carrying them today. Our meeting time was 7:00 and we were on the trail just before 7:30.

The Valley Way trail was mostly hard packed snow with a few sections of ice and some open washed out areas from recent rain. The upper part of the trail was in great shape. We arrived at the Madison Spring Hut with just a very light breeze. We dropped our packs and headed up Mount Madison. The sun was shining and it was a great hike to the summit. There was a light wind blowing but very tolerable. The views were amazing. We stayed long enough for some photos then began our descent back to the hut.

We got back to the hut and took a short break to get something to eat. This is where Nataliya would be leaving the group and hiking back down Valley Way. We put our packs back on and started up the Air Line Connector toward Mount Adams. It's one mile to the summit from Madison Spring Hut. I actually thought it was much easier hiking up here with snow as it provided a solid, filled-in path between the many rocks and boulders.

There was a little more wind on the summit of Mount Adams but I had the proper layers and it was very tolerable. We were enjoying the incredible views in every direction and spent some time taking photos. We had 4.3 miles to hike back down to the parking area and were soon on our way. Our hike would take us all the way down the Air Line trail along the spectacular Durand Ridge.

When we reached the top of King Ravine we could see hikers ascending the steep trail coming up the ravine. As we continued along the ridge I could see other hikers far below in the lower section of the ravine on their way up. There was amazing views all the way to the treeline. Once in the treeline and continuing down we found much more trail ice than was on Valley Way and careful footing was required. We reached the parking area without any falling mishaps.

A hike above treeline is always an exciting adventure and more so in the winter on a beautiful day. I needed Madison and Adams for my Winter 48 4,000 footer list and now have only five more summits to complete the list. This was an awesome hike to end the 2018 year of hiking!

Enjoy the photos and videos!