A Solo Hike of Madison, 7/1/2018

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Madison

7/1/2018

Valley Way, Osgood Trail

8.4 miles round-trip

4,100 feet of elevation gain

I did a solo hike of Madison on July 1st.  I was prepared for an especially hot day; I wore a T-shirt and shorts, and I put my hair up in a ponytail.  This time I solo hiked, it was different; Mom and Sage were not hiking that day, so neither of them were on the mountain.  The sun had already risen when I started my hike, and there were many cars in the parking lot (I was not surprised since it was a summer Sunday).

Mom took a picture of me at the trailhead.  After that, I didn't see her for another 4 hours and 45 minutes.

There were people on the trail ahead of me, so I didn't run into any spiderwebs!

Up I go...

After hiking up Valley Way, I was grateful to arrive at Madison Springs Hut and feel strong, cool wind.

Madison Springs Hut...

After grabbing a small snack at the hut and dropping off my pack and poles, I took a Nalgene water bottle, my phone, a jacket, and a map and compass (just in case), and headed up Madison.

As I continued hiking to the summit, the sky became cloudy and fog surrounded me.

I got to the summit of Madison!  The top was surrounded by clouds, so I had absolutely no views.  The cool wind felt amazing, though.  I never ended up needing to wear my jacket.

As I came down, the clouds briefly dispersed before surrounding everything once again.  

Once I came back down to the hut, I filled up my water bottles and started heading down.

Sunlight shining through green foliage...

I noticed a squirrel on a tree.  It stayed like it is in the picture for a while and then jumped to another tree to fuss at me.

When I arrived at the trailhead, Mom was there waiting there for me.  Before driving back home, she gave me my first driving lesson; I am 15 and a half now, which means I can start learning how to drive by New Hampshire state rules.  It was exciting!  I am looking forward to driving more.

Happy July!