Outdoor Diversion: Spring Hike to Adams and Madison

Summits: Mount Adams (5,774'), Mount Madison (5,367')

Trail route: Air Line, Gulfside Trail, Osgood Trail, Valley Way

Trail conditions: Solid packed trail up airline, some ice on Adams cone and same on Madison soft snow down Valley Way

Weather: Cool temps and wind on the summits, blue sky and sunshine, warmer temps on the way down

Total miles: 10

Total time: 8:00

This would be my first Spring hike of the year. The weather forecast was looking very favorable for conditions above tree line and specifically for hiking some Presidential summits. I would be joining Jill, Jim and Amy for today's hike to Mount Adams and Mount Madison.

I arrived at the Appalachia parking lot to find it almost full. Jim was already there, Jill arrived and parked along the side of Route 2, Amy was able to squeeze into the entrance of the parking area. There was a steady stream of hikers arriving.

We had a couple of decisions to make, the first being whether or not to bring snowshoes. While that was a personal decision we all decided to bring them anticipating soft snow later in the day with the warm temperatures. The other decision was what route to take up and down. We decided on Air Line up to Mount Adams and Valley Way down after Mount Madison.

We put on microspikes at the parking lot and were soon on our way. This was the correct traction and served us well as the trail was hard packed and frozen solid. The traction really worked well on the steep areas of the Air Line trail. As we ascended the exposed Durand Ridge a cold wind was blowing up from King Ravine. We all put on another layer before continuing up to the summit cone.

There were hikers coming down from the summit of Adams as we were ascending. As we went up the cone the microspikes helped with the frozen snow and ice we had to walk over. Up on the summit we found a spot out of the wind, it was quite comfortable in the sun. We took a brief break to enjoy the views, lots of blue sky and sunshine without a cloud to be seen anywhere. We could have stayed longer basking in the sun but there was another mountain to climb and we started our descent.

It was a good hike down and over to Mount Madison. Jill had already done Madison in March and decided to stay in a sunny spot beside the Madison Spring Hut while Amy, Jim and I dropped our packs and started up to our second summit of the day. There was frozen snow and bare rock on the way to the summit. The wind was blowing at the top but tolerable under the warm sun. A few photos and we were on our way back down.

Jill had come part way up the trail and met us as we were coming down. Back at the hut we ate lunch and relaxed for a moment. After our break we started our descent and it would be all downhill from here. The snow was getting soft in the warm temps and sunshine. There was a few opportunities for some butt sliding and we all did it at least once.

It was a pleasant hike down and getting warmer with the drop in elevation. Back down at the junction of Valley Way and Air Line we completed the loop. We had worn our microspikes for the entire hike and the snowshoes got a free ride. Great weather, good trail conditions and fun hiking companions made it a spectacular day for this hike!

Enjoy the photos and video!