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From Thunderstorm
Junction, the trail wound over the rocks up the west side of Mt
Adams. Before long, I was at the top. Of course, I wasn't alone;
there were quite a few other hikers up there, but I seemed to be
the only one who came up Lowe's Path. I asked someone to take my
picture by the summit signs, then found a relatively comfortable
spot among the rocks overlooking
Mt Washington, and sat to eat some pretzels, drink some water,
and enjoy the view.
It was a
bit hazy, but the summit buildings on Mt Washington were clearly
visible, as was the smoke from the cog railway on the far side of
the summit cone. The Great Gulf was also impressive; I wouldn't
mind climbing up that way someday. So many trails, so little time!
I would have
liked to stay up there longer, but I was getting hot in the sun;
I still had to climb Mt Madison then get back down to the car by
around suppertime to make the long drive back home. I put my pack
back on and headed steeply down the Airline Trail, which was the
most direct path to Madison Spring Hut.
On the way,
I met a college-age girl who worked on the RMC trail crew. She was
climbing Mt Adams via King Ravine on her day off. I told her how
nice of a job they had been doing on Lowe's Path, and she explained
how they moved heavy rocks into place.
After I arrived
at the junction with the Gulfside Trail, I continued the short distance
down through the scrub to Madison Spring Hut. A string of Tibetan
prayer flags fluttered in the breeze by the door, adding a
Himalayan atmosphere to the scene. Outside, the hut bustled with
activity. Hikers were congregated in the open, especially by the
spring, just resting or getting themselves ready to climb higher
or descend back down to the valley. One couple even had two or three
dachshunds, who they said were very good hikers. I would have liked
to have brought Muffin, but was afraid that the above-treeline terrain
would be too rough on her. |
Me
on Mt Adams. There were quite a few people up there that day enjoying
the views and the weather, so I had no trouble finding someone to
take my picture for me. |
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