Thursday, May 4, 2017

Madison and Adams. April 30, 2017

Madison and Adams
4/30/2017
Valley Way, Gulfside Trail, Lowe's Path
About 10.4 miles round-trip
About 5000 feet of elevation gain

The sun was coming up when we began the hike.  John came with us and we all put on our gear in the Appalachia parking lot before ascending Valley Way.  The sunrise was beautiful!  I felt cool but not cold; the temperature was perfect for early morning hiking.


We have been starting so many hikes in the dark lately...it was nice to start when it was light outside this time!



There were many leaves on the ground.  


Intersection with Brookside





A stream crossing we reached:



Blue sky...


We found ourselves on a monorail when we got up a significant part of the trail.  The monorail began a few tenths of a mile before the tentsite.




STOP sign:





The clouds looked amazing up there.  The weather was perfect; we could sit without getting too cold, which allowed us to really take in and appreciate the amazing sights surrounding us.


Ice patterns...


Airline Cutoff intersection:


There was an icy path leading straight to Madison Springs Hut.



Different perspectives...




Sage and Mom at the hut:


Looking at Adams...


The sky was just spectacular.  I couldn't stop taking pictures!



We took a small break at the hut before continuing to Mt. Madison.


Sage taking a picture of the scenery...








Going up Madison...




The views were amazing when we got to Madison.  



John's silhouette:


Cairn and sky...



Sage looking at the views with the breeze tousling her hair:





It was lovely up there!


Back at the hut:





Snack break...


We headed up Adams next.


We decided to go up Gulfside Trail and then Lowe's Path instead of going over Airline.

















Summit of Adams!


This was a nice hike, though it hailed on us a bit while we were on Adams and rained slightly as we headed back down Valley Way (mountain weather).  Looking forward to another hike next week.

Also, we'll have another episode of GraniteGals ready this weekend!  

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