Jazzbo
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- Joined
- Jan 1, 2005
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Madison via Valley Way, 8.6 mi. RT, 4100’ elev. Gain
George, Jack, and I stayed at Sub-Sig Cabin Friday night. We drove by way of Pinkham Notch and Gorham to the trailhead and were underway by 8:45. Weather in 40 to 50F, overcast with summits in the clouds. Not best weather for a big hike, but we hoped the rain would hold off and clouds might do something interesting. There was patchy snow and ice at the trailhead at 1300’. By 2100’ snow became continuous and somewhere before junction with Scar trail to Air Line we donned snowshoes.
Not many on the trails this day. We only saw only two other parties. A party of college-age backpackers suiting up at the trailhead as we left. There weren’t any postholes to contend with, until just above the tent site when we got into the spruce scrub a party of two was descending bare booted leaving 3-4’ deep postholes. Not continuous, but hazardous for people wearing snowshoes as snowshoe can slip into a posthole and become wedged in requiring special measures to extract. This was most unwelcome and was really onerous on the way down. It was hard maintaining your balance on the steep side hill with snowshoes. Had the snow been firmer, crampons would have been better.
We were rewarded when the clouds partially opened near the hut. We could see half of Adams, all of Madison, and partial views of Jefferson. We hiked up the snowfields to Madison summit, where we were able to look down Durand Ridge and into Gorham and Berlin and across to the Crescent Ranges. Views were much better than fog banks that were expected. Snowfields were firm but shallower than the snow was below the hut.
Descending proved harder than expected, as there was tendency for my Tubbs snowshoes to slide downhill on the wet slippery snow into the postholes. The first 1000’ of descent below the hut was strenuous, requiring ballet like movements to place my snowshoes to prevent this sliding. Jack didn’t seem to have this problem of sliding downhill with his MSR’s.
Down by the campsite a light rain was starting to fall and we encountered the college-age folks looking down cast. They appeared to be well equipped, but they were uncertain whether to try to make it to the hut or camp at the tent site. George hung back with them to discuss their options. We knew the weather was going to continue damp but with mild winds for the next 24 hours so we weren’t too concerned.
It didn’t rain much, but the spruce trees were dripping on account of the humid air and the deep snow caused us to wade through wet spruce which soaked our clothes. We were pretty chilled by the time we returned to the trailhead. We returned to Sub-Sig cabin where we changed into dry clothes while Sharon prepared a nice dinner of soup, baked salmon and asparagus for us. YUM!!!
Pics are here!
George, Jack, and I stayed at Sub-Sig Cabin Friday night. We drove by way of Pinkham Notch and Gorham to the trailhead and were underway by 8:45. Weather in 40 to 50F, overcast with summits in the clouds. Not best weather for a big hike, but we hoped the rain would hold off and clouds might do something interesting. There was patchy snow and ice at the trailhead at 1300’. By 2100’ snow became continuous and somewhere before junction with Scar trail to Air Line we donned snowshoes.
Not many on the trails this day. We only saw only two other parties. A party of college-age backpackers suiting up at the trailhead as we left. There weren’t any postholes to contend with, until just above the tent site when we got into the spruce scrub a party of two was descending bare booted leaving 3-4’ deep postholes. Not continuous, but hazardous for people wearing snowshoes as snowshoe can slip into a posthole and become wedged in requiring special measures to extract. This was most unwelcome and was really onerous on the way down. It was hard maintaining your balance on the steep side hill with snowshoes. Had the snow been firmer, crampons would have been better.
We were rewarded when the clouds partially opened near the hut. We could see half of Adams, all of Madison, and partial views of Jefferson. We hiked up the snowfields to Madison summit, where we were able to look down Durand Ridge and into Gorham and Berlin and across to the Crescent Ranges. Views were much better than fog banks that were expected. Snowfields were firm but shallower than the snow was below the hut.
Descending proved harder than expected, as there was tendency for my Tubbs snowshoes to slide downhill on the wet slippery snow into the postholes. The first 1000’ of descent below the hut was strenuous, requiring ballet like movements to place my snowshoes to prevent this sliding. Jack didn’t seem to have this problem of sliding downhill with his MSR’s.
Down by the campsite a light rain was starting to fall and we encountered the college-age folks looking down cast. They appeared to be well equipped, but they were uncertain whether to try to make it to the hut or camp at the tent site. George hung back with them to discuss their options. We knew the weather was going to continue damp but with mild winds for the next 24 hours so we weren’t too concerned.
It didn’t rain much, but the spruce trees were dripping on account of the humid air and the deep snow caused us to wade through wet spruce which soaked our clothes. We were pretty chilled by the time we returned to the trailhead. We returned to Sub-Sig cabin where we changed into dry clothes while Sharon prepared a nice dinner of soup, baked salmon and asparagus for us. YUM!!!
Pics are here!
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