Mt Adams (5774′) and Mt Madison (5367′) are the second highest and fifth highest 4 thousand footers contained in the White Mountains. They’re normally hiked collectively on the same day on account of they’re adjoining on the northernmost finish of the Presidential Vary.
Climbing Adams and Madison is a difficult day in any native climate, however it may very well be downright brutal in winter circumstances when you could possibly carry further clothes, traction aids, snowshoes, meals, and scorching ingesting water up each peaks, the latter to stop it from freezing all by way of the day. Face safety is normally required to stop frostbite, and visibility shall be poor on account of low clouds, freezing fog, or blowing snow. There are absolutely utterly totally different routes one can take to climb each peaks, however on all the, you’re taking a look at a 10-mile day with near 5000′ of elevation buy.
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 mates Lynn and Barbara, and by my buddy Tom in January. All of them are very professional winter hikers and totally different people I notion to hike with above treeline in winter. Like me, they’re furthermore engaged on the White Mountain 4000 Footer Grid, which requires climbing all 48 White Mountain 4 thousand footers in every calendar month of the 12 months (normally over loads of years.) It takes an excessive amount of perseverance and willpower to finish this peak-bagging file though it’s very rewarding on account of you will flip into mates with so many unimaginable of us alongside one of many easiest methods.
The native climate on each of those journeys was wintery however very absolutely utterly 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 extreme rainstorm, inflicting main flooding inside the encompassing ravines and valleys, leaving solely a dusting of snow and ice on the paths. Whereas counterintuitive, January’s path circumstances had been extra sturdy than December’s, considerably on the boulder-strewn summit cones of each peaks, provided that voids between the rocks which can be usually filled with snow had been now naked, whereas the rocks themselves had 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 exterior of Randolph, NH, and hiked as rather a lot as a result of the AMC’s Madison Hut, which is positioned merely above treeeline, in 4 hours. The Madison Hut is closed in winter however provides a superb place to shelter out of the wind, have a snack, drink some water, regulate your clothes, and regroup for the subsequent part of the hike.
We’d hiked as rather a lot as a result of the hut by the use of loads of inches of moist, however packable snow, carrying path crampons for traction, however switched to snowshoes from that time on, on account of there was 1-2 ft of powder above treeline and we wanted the additional flotation. From the hut, we headed as rather a lot as Adams on the Guldside Path with a goal to methodology the summit from the north facet, 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 rather a lot as Thunderstorm Junction and observe Lowes Path to the summit, however we had drawback following the Gulfside on account 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 mates (it’s a small world above treeline) and so they additionally’d damaged out a path to the summit that we might merely make out contained in the fog.
It had began snowing intently at this diploma, however we began up the trail they’d made, following their packed prints. Sadly, Barbara had hit the wall at this diploma and was bonking and actually slowing us down. I’ve been there and I’m very sympathetic. Nonetheless 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 might need been for her to climb all this fashion with out summitting. So I impressed her to proceed, nonetheless slowly, all of the whereas questioning if the snow would obscure the broken-out snowshoe tracks forward of us or within the occasion that they is maybe coated by snow after we tried to descend. Lynn, contained in the meantime, was climbing steadily and I wished to rein her in in order that we might all keep one another in sight.
All of us reached the perfect, touched the summit signal, after which bolted instantly as soon as extra down one of many easiest methods we’d come. I might 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 apprehensive about getting off the height as soon as extra all one of the simplest ways all the way in which all the way down to the Gulfside Path, or the hut.
Gravity is my buddy and we had been quickly as soon as extra on the hut the place we drank water, ate some meals, and agreed to climb Madison. I regularly select to get Adams first on these hikes on account of it’s the one you don’t need to depart behind within the occasion you happen to resolve to bail partway by the use of the journey. Madison is a somewhat rather a lot easier peak to climb and it’s one I’d truly actually really feel absolutely cozy soloing if want be, in distinction to Adams.
We had been all drained, however the remaining ascent up Madison was straightforward, partly on account of the cairns on the Osgood Path are somewhat rather a lot easier to take a look at. There’s no path on these summits to talk of, solely a line of cairns to take a look at as you rock hop up on snowshoes to the summit. That was clouded over too, however we’d made it. From there we merely wished to hike as soon as extra down the trailhead following the slushy Valley Technique Path at the hours of darkness lit by headlamp.
The January Climb
Tom and I climbed Adams and Madison a month afterward January 2 in drastically absolutely utterly totally different circumstances. This time we had a sunny day, temperatures contained in the low 20’s, however a brisk wind. The forecast had usually known as for wind speeds of 25-30 mph with gusts as excessive as 40 mph, however it was on the intense finish of that change and pushed us spherical after we tried to stroll above treeline. We furthermore wished to positioned on face safety to stop frostbite.
We began at 8:00 and hiked up the Valley Technique Path which was naked earth decrease down, icy at its midpoint, with packed snow barely beneath treeline. We positioned on Path Crampons spherical 2000′ and saved them on the remainder of the day. Circumstances above treeline had been such that snowshoes weren’t required on this hike, because of large rainstorm and thaw that had occurred all by the use of the Whites, the week prior. Mountaineering snowshoes weigh 4-5 kilos per pair, so I used to be wanting to climb Adams and Madison in circumstances the place I didn’t have to hold all of them day.
We bought to the hut after 3 hours of climbing and had a snack ahead of persevering with up the Gulfside Path to the north facet of Adams. Tom wished to hike up Lowes Path from Thunderstorm Junction as an alternative of following the Airline Path on account of he was involved it’d be too bony. The ascent to the summit of Adams alongside Lowes path is shorter and requires rather a lot a lot much less climbing so I used to be recreation. Nonetheless, following the Gulfside Path was a bit troublesome on account of there have been an excessive amount of hidden voids amongst the rocks that make up the path. Tom’s glacier packages had been furthermore 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 an excessive amount of icy boulder hopping and there have been many voids between the rocks to avoid. Nonetheless we summitted after which beat ft, following the Airline Path down. It was positively packed out accurately and a somewhat rather a lot quicker descent. We vectored over to the Gulfside Path as quickly as further on one of many easiest methods down Adams, an unusual shortcut, and descended to the hut to regroup.
After some meals and drinks, we slowly climbed to the Madison summit which is just a few hundred ft 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 as soon as extra all one of the simplest ways all the way in which all the way down to the trailhead, in merely 2 hours, making it as soon as extra down ahead of sundown.
Wrap Up
These two hikes had been a extreme milestone for me on account of they’d been the eleventh and twelfth calendar months that I’ve climbed Adams and Madison for The Grid, which suggests I’m achieved with them. That may very well be a giant low cost on account of “gridding out” Adams is arguably the toughest peak to hike in every calendar month of the 12 months. I nonetheless have a couple of troublesome hikes to finish this month, however they’re all easier and barely rather a lot a lot much less weather-dependent than Adams.
I’ve to thank my mates for coming with me on these hikes. Whereas it’s true they “wanted” them for his or her very private Grids, good mountaineering companions a difficult to hunt out, and I’m blessed to have them as my companions.