The wind was really strong as we left Madison Spring Hut this morning, with the wind chill down in the teens. The 500′ climb up Mt. Madison (5,366′) would have been tough enough in any case, but with the frequent strong gusts, we really were buffeted around and moving up only at a snail’s pace. We were really disheartened when a member of the hut crew with youth, agility, and an intimate knowledge of every useable foot plant on her side came gliding up and past us on the boulder field they call a trail. But the views were amazing, especially after Mt. Washington came into sight. At first the Washington summit was hidden in a thin layer of cloud, but by late morning the top of the mountain joined the rest of yesterday’s route revealed completely in the clear.

As we made our way down the flank of Mt. Madison on the Osgood Ridge, we sometimes had full wind blowing on us and at other times we were protected by the mountain as we walked on its lee side. We alternated short level stretches with steep downhills, with the AT’s path acting like a series of downward ridge steps. Finally, we dropped back below the tree line, but the steep rocky trail kept our pace slow. When we reached the turnoff to the Osgood tent sites, it had taken us four and a half hours to go just three miles! It was time to rethink our plan of doing 14 miles today, and lower our expectations.

At that point, the difficulty of the trail made a dramatic improvement. For the next five miles to Pinkham Notch, we averaged almost two miles an hour, but the super windy start to the day had dug us a hole whose deficit we could not make up. (We should note crossing the Mt. Washington auto road and its fast traffic may have been the single most dangerous moment of the day!)

When we reached the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, it was already after 4:00 p.m. and we knew we couldn’t make the next hut or shelter. So, we checked into the bunk room facilities at the Joe Dodge Lodge. It’s a little pricey, but we had a great dinner and will go to bed clean and ready for a good night’s sleep. Once again, the Whites have kicked our butts, but for today’s spectacular scenery, it seems like an even trade…

Note: For those of you interested in learning more about the other two members of our team, they also are maintaining online blogs. Kleenex’s journal can be found at atforslcc.wordpress.com while Castaway’s account is located at dalelafferty.com.