September 13th, 2003 - Mt Madison White Mountains New Hampshire

September 13th, 2003
Mt Madison White Mountains New Hampshire

We had been wanting to schedule a White Mountains hike for some time but weather, work and other commitments kept getting in the way. With the year slipping away and 'back-to-school' madness behind us we decided to go for it for September 13th. As the week slipped by the forecast started hinting at rain moving up from the south. It would arrive Monday... Sunday... Saturday.. Oh No!
The alarm went off at 3:30am on Saturday morning. I need an hour to get moving in the morning so it was 4:30am when I picked Karen up and 5am when we got to Lisa's. Grabbing a quick coffee when I gassed up we hit the highway and headed north. It's a long drive. Three and a half hours and 210 miles to be precise.

As the sun rose there was a little localized fog and some low cloud, but by the time we hit the parking lot at the Appalachia trailhead the sky was clear and it promised to be a glorious day. Packing plenty of liquids and extra clothes in case of rain and wind our packs were heavier than usual. At 8:45 we hit the trail. The mountains called.

1 - 8:40am Appalachia trail head	18 - 1:16pm Mt Madison from Air Line Cutoff
2 - 8:44am Starting the Air Line Trail	19 - 1:30pm Madison Hut
3 - 9:05am Beechwood Trail Junction	20 - 2:02pm Mt Washington from Madison ascent
4 - 9:13am Short Line Trail Junction	21 - 2:20pm Lisa and Bob on Mt Madison Summit
5 - 9:25am Randolph Path Junction	22 - 2:28pm Lisa makes another doggie friend/td>
6 - 9:26am Only 2.5 miles to Madison Hut	23 - 2:28pm Mt Washington Observatory from Madison Summit
7 - 11:23am Scar Trail Junction	24 - 2:30pm Snyder Brook Valley from Madison Summit
8 - 12:14pm King Ravine Headwall	25 - 2:48pm Let's Play "Where's Lisa?"
9 - 12:15pm Looking back down Durand Ridge	26 - 2:51pm Rear of Madison Hut
10 - 12:15pm Looking across King Ravine	27 - 2:55pm ITS Scouts at Madison Hut
11 - 12:31pm Lisa enjoys the view and a snack	28 - 3:09pm Head of Valley Trail
12 - 12:44pm Bob on King Ravine rim	29 - 3:12pm Karen and the warning sign
13 - 12:46pm Chemin de Dames trail Junction	30 - 3:12pm Dire Warning
14 - 12:46pm Looking down Chemin de Dames trail	31 - 3:18pm Down, down, down...
15 - 1:13pm Bingo the Beagle	32 - 3:19pm Assorted Nature
16 - 1:15pm 3 1/2 miles done only 0.2 miles to hut	33 - 5:34pm Less than a mile to go!
17 - 1:15pm Back down the trail from Air Line Cutoff	34 - 6:15pm Weary but happy hikers