Yeah…about that weather. Four years prior to this (Sept. 2016) image, on the morning of the sixth of a seven-day, six (AMC) hut hike, we were having breakfast at Lakes of the Clouds hut, in the shadow of Mt. Washington…with plans to head up and over Washington, onto Clay, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison (with a final sleep over at Madison Hut) - but we found ourselves in the jaws of two storm systems…with everyone at Lakes that morning anxiously evaluating weather data on cellphones (thinking back to the days of basically wetting a finger and holding it up to the wind, and trying not to think about a winter climb here years before - on a day when this very hut lost half of its roof to the wind!)…with much discussion, some of it heated, among groups of hikers about levels of risk, personal responsibility, and plans of action. Quick exit down Ammonoosuc Ravine? Stay put? Up and over the Camel Path, over to Lion’s Head…and down? Over to Madison Hut…but via. Westside to avoid Washington - and stick to Gulfside for the duration…thereby avoiding all other peaks? Drop into the Great Gulf via. Six Husbands? (did that in a hail storm once…and the “drop” was almost literal!).
So we climbed up and over Washington that morning - so far OK but in very thick fog…then dipping below Clay, after which, in the presence of approaching thunder, we decided to go up Jefferson…on the summit of which, while in the act of exchanging cellphones with a woman so we could photograph each others hiking parties…I felt that slight but unmistakable trickle of electrons which often precedes a lightning strike. At that point we all split up and headed down separately (extremely important to avoid a potential communal zap!), but within sight of each other…down into the slightly safer scrub, and into Edmunds Col, which by its shape acts to concentrate and funnel a northwest blow with great ferocity…which on this day was accompanied by lightning, thunder, and ultimately hail - stones of which being large enough that we were forced to seek shelter on the lee side of a large rock, where the weather kept us for the better part of an hour, after which, while the hail had become a steady wind-blown rain, with the occasional crack of nearby lightning, we acknowledged that the only semi-sensible way forward would be to stay off of our remaining peaks (Adams and Madison), and head directly over to Madison Hut…where we finally (and very gratefully!) arrived as we had started that day…in a pea-soup fog.
Fast forward to Sept. 2016: in the four years which intervened between our ill fated attempt detailed above, we’d managed to finish all of the remaining NH “4000 footers” on our list…except for Adams and Madison. So, on Labor Day weekend of ‘16…we drove up into Jefferson notch, and, accompanied by “perfect” weather (abundant sunshine, just a slight breeze, temps in the low 60’s F - a comparative walk in the park!), hiked up over Caps ridge, hooked into the Gulfside trail, up over Adams, ditched our packs at Madison Hut, and, finally, finished our 4K’s on the Summit of Madison…where I handed my cellphone to a french Canadian woman (who spoke no english) who photographed us on the summit…replete with our foam-core “#48 Madison” cutout which we’d brought with us:
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Later that same evening, just before dinner, we walked up a short trail to Star Lake…where we sat for awhile in the fading light, taking in the scene before us - with the summit of Mt. Madison above:
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Next day - the hike out…back over Gulfside and to our car…and then, just as we’d started to round the peak of Jefferson, Marlene says “lets climb it again!” So we do…and at the summit Marlene says, “this is number one!” Say what? Yup…we’re doing them all again - starting with “Jeffs!”
And now…four years later - myself at 66yrs., my wife Marlene a “still youthful” 64…our steps having noticeably slowed, our packs feeling just a bit heavier…not at all certain that we’ll actually finish “round two” of the 48 4K’s, but still feeling motivated do what we can, for as long as we can…wherever this may take us.
