Date: 2017-09-05
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: Osgood Tent Site 
Miles today: 3.1
Weather: few clouds

9/5Madison Spring Hut to Osgood Tent Site 3.1 milesTotal miles:  1865.7I got up at 5:00 this morning to assure an early start for summitting Mount Madison. Madison has a reputation (well deserved, it turned out) of being a real challenge. Rain was in the forecast, and I really wanted to get over the mountain, down the ridge line, and back in tree cover before it started. Today was perhaps the most difficult day of hiking I have ever experienced. The trail was like yesterday with rugged, jagged boulders to traverse, marked periodically by cairns of stone. The wind was phenominal the entire time I was above tree line. I met a southbound hiker who is familiar with the Whites, and he told me we were experiencing wind speeds of 80 mph. The trail from the hut to the summit is 0.5 miles long, and it took us over two hours to reach the summit. There were places were I literally crawled from boulder to boulder, with my clothing flapping frantically in the wind. It was quite exciting.  Gravity and I holed up against a large boulder and took a summit photo together. Things were no different after the summit. The trail off of Madison lies directly along the top of the ridge line all the way to the trees. There was about a mile that we were completely exposed to the wind as we worked our way across. I stayed on the upwind side of the ridge, so if a sudden gust blew me over, it would be into the rock and not over the edge. I lost my Zseat  (a type of foam sitting pad) when it was blown off the back of my pack. I almost lost my puffy jacket, which I had in the mesh pouch on the back. Of course I couldn't see it, but the hood came out and was acting like a parasail trying to pull out the rest of the jacket. Fortunately, Gravity was behind me and shoved it back in. I kept working my way down the ridge, and things got easier after I got among trees. It's obvious how much wind occurs there, because the evergreens only have branches on the downwind side.  The rest of the descent to Osgood Tent Site was quite steep and very slick from the rain a few days before, but it was made easier by being sheltered from the wind. It took me six and a half hours to hike the 3.1 miles from the hut to the tent site. I was tempted to continue on to Pinkham Notch, an additional 4.7 miles down, but the skies were tbreatening, and I decided I'd had enough excitement for one day. I spent the time waiting for Gravity by setting up my tent and chatting with a flip-flop hiker named Bagel. Gravity seemed quite satisified with my decision to stop, and the rain began to fall soon after he arrived. It was still early, but I was quite content to chill out in my tent listening to the rain.  It stopped around six, but I had pretty much decided just to stay in bed, when I heard a dog bark. It sounded like Maple. It was Maple, and I had a joyous reunion with her and with Jason and Boomer, whom I haven't seen since New York. Red Eye jumped forward due to her visa expiring and will summit Katahdin in a few days. It was great seeing them again, and we all cooked dinner and filled each other in on our latest exploits. They are hiking with Single T, a hiker I met previously at the Notch. Just as it began to get dark, a thunderstorm began again in earnest, and everyone headed for their tents and hammocks. I plan on an early start tomorrow, and if the weather isn't too terrible, I hope to make it to the Carter Notch Hut, a distance of 10.6 miles. As I have learned, however, the Whites have a way of altering my plans in any number of ways, and most of the Wildcat Mountains stand between me and the hut.  I'm continuing to take my time and focus on the moment, which I feel is the best possible approach. While incredibly challenging and difficult, I continue to enjoy my time in the Whites and am making memories that will last me a long time. The rain continues to fall now with thunder rumbling in the distance, and I'm going back to sleep to be ready for tomorrow.