OUTDOOR AWARENESS

Day 1. Flight from Chicago to Boston. Rental car from airport traveling non-toll roads to Pinkham Notch. Lodged at Joe Dodge Lodge at the AMC Pinkham Notch Visitor Center.

Day 2. Breakfast at the cafeteria in the AMC Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. Rode the AMC White Mountain Hiker Shuttle to Appalachia Trailhead. Ascended the Brookside Trail to Valley Way to reach the AMC Madison Spring Hut. The trail follows along Snyder Brook, with numerous waterfalls along the way. Heavily wooded along this section, and mosquitos swarmed as we took breaks. By early afternoon, we reached the hut which is located right above treeline. After settling our gear in the hut and having a short meal, we ascended the route to Mt. Madison (5,366'). It was slightly rocky toward the top with a slight amount of scrambling. Although the sky was slightly overcast, it was an impressive view southward toward the remainder of the Presidential Range. Our route the next day didn't seem "that" imposing. Afterward, we had a nice dinner in the hut, followed by a wonderful sunset across the mountains.

Day 3. An ample breakfast in the hut started our day. We might have gotten a slightly later start to the day than desired, but it was a beautiful sunny day. After working around the peak on the Gulfside Trail, we summited Mt. Adams (5,799') mid-morning. While not especially far away, the saddle between Mt. Adams and Mt. Jefferson is fairly long and wide. Reflecting back, the attempt for Mt. Jefferson seemed to drain a lot of our energy. By lunchtime, we summited Mt. Jefferson (5,716'), and had a nice, but breezy lunch at the top. "All" that remained, was the summit of Mt. Washington and the descent to the hut. As our energy was already draining, we skipped Mt. Clay and stayed on the Gulfside Trail. Although we observed Mt. Washington after coming around Mt. Clay, actually reaching the top seemed to take a long, long time. Even once we approached the cog rail tracks along the west of Mt. Washington, it still was tiring to reach the summit. Eventually, we reached the top of Mt. Washington (6,288'). We entered the visitor center to eat, take a break, and slightly recharge our electronics. However, we couldn't stay long. It was already 3:30pm and dinner in the hut was at 5pm. So, we headed down the Crawford Path trail to the AMC Lakes of the Clouds Hut. One might think that descending would be much faster, but we didn't find much different in the speed going up versus the speed going down. This was due to the numerous rocks and uneven footing across the trail. On a descent, you still need to arrest your speed and gauge your footing to prevent twists and falls. However, we did move pretty quickley down the trail and arrived at the hut slightly before 5pm. After dinner, we settled in the enjoy a long drawn out sunset of the mountains.

Day 4. Given the strain of the previous day, we declined to summit nearby Mt. Monroe (5,372') before heading down the mountain. We did summit the peak eight years earlier. So after a filling breakfast and coffee, our day would involve heading down the mountain range. The choice became descending into the steep Tuckerman Ravine, or striding the ridge and descending at the end of the valley. We chose the latter, taking the Camel Trail, Davis Path, and Boott Spur Trail back to the visitor center. The narrow and rocky characteristics of these trails made the descent very challenging and exerting. Finally, about 2pm we reached the visitor center at Pinkham Notch. After a little recovery, we drove back to Boston.

Day 5. Fly back to Chicago.