Mt Adams (5774′) and Mt Madison (5367′) are the second highest and fifth highest 4 thousand footers within the White Mountains. They’re normally hiked collectively on the identical day as a result of they’re adjoining on the northernmost finish of the Presidential Vary.
Climbing Adams and Madison is a troublesome day in any climate, however it may be downright brutal in winter circumstances when it’s important to carry additional clothes, traction aids, snowshoes, meals, and sizzling consuming water up each peaks, the latter to forestall it from freezing through the day. Face safety is usually required to forestall frostbite, and visibility will be poor as a result of low clouds, freezing fog, or blowing snow. There are totally different routes one can take to climb each peaks, however typically, you’re a 10-mile day with near 5000′ of elevation acquire.
I climbed each Adams and Madison final December (’23) and this January (’24) precisely one month aside. In December, I used to be accompanied by my buddies Lynn and Barbara, and by my buddy Tom in January. All of them are very skilled winter hikers and folks I belief to hike with above treeline in winter. Like me, they’re additionally engaged on the White Mountain 4000 Footer Grid, which requires climbing all 48 White Mountain 4 thousand footers in every calendar month of the yr (normally over a number of years.) It takes a whole lot of perseverance and willpower to finish this peak-bagging listing though it’s very rewarding as a result of you possibly can grow to be buddies with so many great individuals alongside the way in which.
The climate on each of those journeys was wintery however very totally different. In December, we encountered deep snow above-treeline which required carrying snowshoes to climb each peaks. Nevertheless, that snow was washed away in January by a serious rainstorm, inflicting main flooding within the surrounding ravines and valleys, leaving only a dusting of snow and ice on the paths. Whereas counterintuitive, January’s path circumstances have been tougher than December’s, particularly on the boulder-strewn summit cones of each peaks, because the voids between the rocks which are usually crammed with snow have been now naked, whereas the rocks themselves have been coated in ice.
The December Climb
Barbara, Lynn, and I climbed Adams and Madison on December 2, which is technically nonetheless autumn not winter, regardless of the winter circumstances we encountered. We met at 8:00 am on the Appalachia Trailhead on RT 2 outdoors of Randolph, NH, and hiked as much as the AMC’s Madison Hut, which is situated simply above treeeline, in 4 hours. The Madison Hut is closed in winter however supplies a superb place to shelter out of the wind, have a snack, drink some water, regulate your clothes, and regroup for the subsequent section of the hike.
We’d hiked as much as the hut by way of a number of inches of moist, however packable snow, carrying path crampons for traction, however switched to snowshoes from that time on, as a result of there was 1-2 toes of powder above treeline and we would have liked the additional flotation. From the hut, we headed as much as Adams on the Guldside Path with a purpose to strategy the summit from the north aspect, the place the gradient is extra gradual.
Whereas it’d been clear on the hut, the clouds closed in overhead as we climbed the Gulfside Path. We’d agreed beforehand to hike as much as Thunderstorm Junction and observe Lowes Path to the summit, however we had bother following the Gulfside as a result of poor visibility. I used to be nearly to succeed in for my compass when three hikers appeared on our left, descending Adams. They turned out to be buddies (it’s a small world above treeline) they usually’d damaged out a path to the summit that we may simply make out within the fog.
It had began snowing closely at this level, however we began up the trail they’d made, following their packed prints. Sadly, Barbara had hit the wall at this level and was bonking and actually slowing us down. I’ve been there and I’m very sympathetic. However I wasn’t going to depart her and climb the remaining 200′ of elevation to the summit with out her. I understand how heartbreaking it could have been for her to climb all this fashion with out summitting. So I inspired her to proceed, nonetheless slowly, all of the whereas questioning if the snow would obscure the broken-out snowshoe tracks forward of us or if they might be coated by snow after we tried to descend. Lynn, within the meantime, was climbing steadily and I needed to rein her in in order that we may all preserve one another in sight.
All of us reached the highest, touched the summit signal, after which bolted instantly again down the way in which we’d come. I may barely make out our snowshoe observe, however I knew the place I used to be, I had two kinds of navigation aides (compass, GPS App) so I wasn’t anxious about getting off the height again all the way down to the Gulfside Path, or the hut.
Gravity is my buddy and we have been quickly again on the hut the place we drank water, ate some meals, and agreed to climb Madison. I all the time wish to get Adams first on these hikes as a result of it’s the one you don’t wish to go away behind in case you determine to bail partway by way of the journey. Madison is a a lot simpler peak to climb and it’s one I’d really feel completely comfy soloing if want be, not like Adams.
We have been all drained, however the ultimate ascent up Madison was easy, partly as a result of the cairns on the Osgood Path are a lot simpler to observe. There’s no path on these summits to talk of, only a line of cairns to observe as you rock hop up on snowshoes to the summit. That was clouded over too, however we’d made it. From there we simply needed to hike again down the trailhead following the slushy Valley Manner Path in the dead of night lit by headlamp.
The January Climb
Tom and I climbed Adams and Madison a month afterward January 2 in drastically totally different circumstances. This time we had a sunny day, temperatures within the low 20’s, however a brisk wind. The forecast had known as for wind speeds of 25-30 mph with gusts as excessive as 40 mph, nevertheless it was on the excessive finish of that vary and pushed us round after we tried to stroll above treeline. We additionally needed to placed on face safety to forestall frostbite.
We began at 8:00 and hiked up the Valley Manner Path which was naked earth decrease down, icy at its midpoint, with packed snow just under treeline. We placed on Path Crampons round 2000′ and saved them on the remainder of the day. Situations above treeline have been such that snowshoes weren’t required on this hike, due to the huge rainstorm and thaw that had occurred all through the Whites, per week prior. Mountaineering snowshoes weigh 4-5 kilos per pair, so I used to be desperate to climb Adams and Madison in circumstances the place I didn’t have to hold all of them day.
We obtained to the hut after 3 hours of climbing and had a snack earlier than continuing up the Gulfside Path to the north aspect of Adams. Tom needed to hike up Lowes Path from Thunderstorm Junction as a substitute of following the Airline Path as a result of he was involved it’d be too bony. The ascent to the summit of Adams alongside Lowes path is shorter and requires much less climbing so I used to be recreation. However, following the Gulfside Path was a bit difficult as a result of there have been a whole lot of hidden voids amongst the rocks that make up the path. Tom’s glacier courses have been additionally fogging up, so he let me lead and adopted shut behind.
Following Lowes Path to the summit was okay, however in hindsight, the Airline Path would have been higher. Lowes required a whole lot of icy boulder hopping and there have been many voids between the rocks to keep away from. Nonetheless we submitted after which beat feat, following the Airline Path down. It was certainly packed out properly and a a lot sooner descent. we vectored over to the Gulfside Path once more on the way in which down Adams, a typical shortcut, and descended to the hut to regroup.
After some food and drinks, we slowly climbed to the Madison summit which is only some hundred toes above the hut. The wind on the prime was very pushy, even worse than on Adams, however we touched the summit cairn and instantly headed down. From the hut we hiked again all the way down to the trailhead, in simply 2 hours, making it again down earlier than sundown.
Wrap Up
These two hikes have been a serious milestone for me as a result of they have been the eleventh and twelfth calendar months that I’ve climbed Adams and Madison for The Grid, which suggests I’m accomplished with them. That may be a massive reduction as a result of “gridding out” Adams is arguably the toughest peak to hike in every calendar month of the yr. I nonetheless have a number of difficult hikes to finish this month, however they’re all simpler and barely much less weather-dependent than Adams.
I wish to thank my buddies for coming with me on these hikes. Whereas it’s true they “wanted” them as properly for his or her Grids, good climbing companions a tough to search out, and I’m blessed to have them as my companions.