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View Full Version : Mt. Madison via Valley Way, Brookside and Watson Path - 11/22/2014



jfront2112
11-24-2014, 11:37
Date*of Hike: November 22, 2014

Trail Conditions: From the Appalachia trailhead the Valley Way trail is covered with about an inch or two of packed snow. The snow in the trees got deeper as I gained elevation. Probably a few inches. The stream crossing at Brookside was easy to navigate. Nobody had been up Brookside since the most recent snows. I broke trail all the way to Watson through about 4 or 5 inches of snow. Snow was very dry an powdery. Someone had crossed over from Valley Way and went up Watson ahead of me which made the trail a bit easier to navigate. Above the treeline the winds (measured by my Kestrel) were sustained at 20 to 30 MPH. Partly cloudy with temps at about 20 degrees with windchill about 4 degrees. I met up with one person not too far from the treeline who had summited and assured me that there was some serious wind up there.*The winds got progressively worse as I made the ascent. Winds began to knock me over and travel was very slow. At times I couldn't move and had to take cover in between the rocks or just lay on the ground and let the worst wind pass over me.*I was about 1/4 mile from the summit when the winds, upward of 60 MPH, made it impossible to move. Besides that, I noticed one of my microspikes had peeled off my foot and I turned around. I can't believe I found it on the way down which made the steep sections of Watson a little easier. There's a good little bit of snow, but not enough to cover the rocks and roots so the trails were a rough to navigate.

Special Equipment Used: Trekking poles for balance. I used one short pole*above the treeline as I was not carrying an ice axe. I bare booted up until Watson where microspikes helped*but the snow was very dry with no hardpack so traction was limited. Eye and face protection were necessary above treeline. Spikes were probably not needed above treeline as all the rocks were exposed and not covered*with ice so traction was good which was probably why I didn't notice my missing spike. I had full emergency gear, shelter and*sleeping bag just in case.

Comments: I used some of my shoulder season gear up there which was a mistake. Traction might not have been necessary above treeline, but Hillsound crampons at a minimum. It's too easy for a microspike to peel off your foot. My overmitts and lightweight gaiters were shredded.*Expedition weight gear only up there. I also should have turned around sooner.*Madison, although the easiest of the northern presidentials, is not to be taken lightly.

It seems most people climbing Madison and Adams turned around on Saturday. I met a climber at the trailhead who was waiting for the rest of his party who were attempting Adams. He turned around, but the three people with him continued despite his warnings. He had years of climbing experience and said they had not done much winter hiking and were planning on summiting no matter what the weather. It sounded like a recipe for disaster, but as I was leaving he got word they were safe. I don't know if they summited, but I hope they learned from this. I know I did.*I've been doing this for 5 years and feel I made some questionable choices that day. The best of which was to turn around

Slo-go'en
11-24-2014, 12:36
Glad you made it back alive! Climbing Madison via the Watson path is difficult even in the summer. In the winter your fully exposed to the prevailing NE winds for quite a while. Going all the way up to Madison Hut via the Valley Way and then to the summit via the AT is a more practical winter approach as your not as exposed for as long.

I remember it was pretty breezy Saturday when I walked down to the store to get the paper. When it's windy in the valley here, it is screaming up high. Be glad your not up there today, I just saw my trash barrel blow across the yard - I better go out and get it before it's half a mile down the road!

jfront2112
11-25-2014, 10:37
Thanks! I was glad to make it back alive too! I've done Madison in the fall via Watson and despite a little fog it was a pretty mild day. The guy I saw who summited from the hut side didn't warn me to turn around but the winds were lower at that point.

I was back in Boston by 8:00 with a glass of Bourbon and a nice beef stew. Hope you found that can. I think it passed me on 93!

psyculman
11-26-2014, 05:24
Thanks for the report, a group is heading up Howker Ridge this weekend, and we weren't sure what to expect as to snow depth, although there will be quite a lot more with the storm tonight. Doesn't sound like the ice flows are too bad yet.

Slo-go'en
11-26-2014, 11:43
Thanks for the report, a group is heading up Howker Ridge this weekend, and we weren't sure what to expect as to snow depth, although there will be quite a lot more with the storm tonight. Doesn't sound like the ice flows are too bad yet.

Now that's one of the more difficult ways to climb Madison. Of course, there is no easy way but that's another "I won't do that trail in the winter".

The rain and warm temps washed away much of the snow which was up there, won't know how much is coming tonight until it's over. Sounds like it will be another wet snow. Definitely plan on ice. It's not going to get especially cold after the storm pulls away, but will be cold enough to make that wet snow really crunchy.

peakbagger
11-26-2014, 14:18
I look out of Howker Ridge from my office. Howker ridge is nice hike unless its windy. Once it meets up with Pine Link, its gets exposed quickly. Taking Pine Link around the summit is just about as bad as it runs direct into the path of the prevailing wind.

With respect to a prior post about microspikes peeling off, the hillsound version of microspikes have a Velcro strap that runs over the top of the boot. They dont peel off with the strap attached.

Slo-go'en
11-27-2014, 15:50
Looks like 8-10" of fresh snow here in the Valley. Expect it to be much deeper higher up. It gets really deep near tree line, as the snow blows off the summits and collects there. I would recommend snowshoes for this Thanksgiving weekend. If your intent is to climb Madison, I would recommend Valley Way, as that trail is likely to be well packed by noon tomorrow.