Date: 2016-08-11
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: broken clouds

Starting out at the Pinkham Notch Visitors Center, I found the proper trail and began the 3,300 foot climb up to the summit of Mt. Madison. At 5,366 feet, Madison is the fifth-highest of the Presidential peaks. When these most prominent peaks in the White Mountains were named in 1820's, the first five presidents were honored by attaching their names, in the order served, to the five highest peaks. Thus, Washington, our first president, had his name given to the highest peak, John Adams, our second president, his name to the second highest, and Thomas Jefferson, his to the third. James Madison and James Monroe, as fourth and fifth presidents, were similarly honored, only to later find that Mt. Monroe was actually twenty-two feet higher than Mt. Madison, thus relegating the fourth president's namesake peak to fifth highest.Not that it mattered to me. Mt. Madison is the first Presidential peak crossed on the AT when heading south, and so up I went. The trail began rather benignly, gaining just 500 feet in its first five miles. At that point, though, it turned sharply up, and in the next 2.5 miles, rose 2,800 feet more. Still, I did not think that the grade matched the steepness I found in Maine, and I was a bit surprised when I found I had climbed above tree line faster than expected. With Mts. Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Madison spreading out before me as I emerged from the forest, I began to appreciate just how different this alpine environment was. The shear expanse of the treeless region across the four peaks was breathtaking. It quickly became clear to me that, if the weather turned sour when one was up above 5,000 feet, there were few places to find sanctuary. In addition, the peaks were home to boulder after boulder, most quite roughly surfaced, so that one's feet took a real beating as they followed the cairns that marked the rocky trail. These boulders had a different feel than ones found elsewhere on the AT, and that strange feel added to the otherworldliness of the Presidential peaks. Finally, a decent, but by no means strong, breeze was blowing that pushed me just enough to have me sometimes unsteady on my feet. On this day, I was sensing all this under a sun-filled blue sky. But given my experience with storms in Virginia, I couldn't help but think how dangerous it would all become if the weather, infamously changeable here on a moment's notice, turned bad. I couldn't shake this sense as I went up the rocky ridge leading to Madison's summit, and then over the top. In fact, I found myself strangely unsettled by it all, and, at 1:30 pm, was glad to arrive at the Madison Spring Hut where I had a reservation to spend the night. The AMC hut system, not to be confused with shelters, lean-to's and huts found on other sections of the AT, comprises eight generously-sized "huts", each housing bunk rooms, a dining room, bathrooms and a commercial-sized kitchen that issues forth breakfast and dinner to its patrons. The eight huts are spread somewhat evenly across the expanse of the White Mountains, with all but one easily accessible from the AT. In addition to tonight's stay at Madison Spring Hut, I plan to stay tomorrow night at the Lake of the Clouds Hut, down off of Mt. Washington's summit, and at Galehead Hut, sited just before the beginning of the Franconia Ridge. With my reaction thus far to the Presidential Range, I'm gladto be spending my two nights here, amidst its peaks, in the huts, and not in my tent at one of the various campsites. Dinner now complete and my bunk ready for a long night's sleep, I am hopeful that tomorrow's weather may conform to forecast. With a chance of rain, perhaps in the afternoon, I should have time to complete the AT's 5.7 mile march to the summit of Mt. Washington, and then descend its 1.5 miles to Lake of the Clouds Hut.