"Slight Chance of Spotty Shower"

When the weather reports call for a "slight chance of a spot shower"-- and you're in the mountains-- COUNT on CONTINUED, PERSISTENT RAIN!!

It wasn't all bad, but from 6pm Saturday evening until 5:30 am Sunday morning, let's just say I got some good quality time with my Kindle-- in my tent...

I started up from Pinkham Notch along the Great Gulf trail Friday afternoon after skydiving with Emily. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, I think I even saw a unicorn floating above a rainbow...

Crossing the bridge took me into the Great Gulf wilderness and into a weekend promising great views and a great workout with my new pack, an Osprey Aether 70...

I camped at the Osgood Tentsite and had a wonderful setup, with promises of a great hike up and over Madison and Adams the following day.

The Saturday morning hike up to the ridge and to the top of Madison was a great workout, and I summited by 8:45 am.

Then, it was a relatively short drop down to Madison Hut, where the croo member relayed the "slight chance of spotty shower".... should have known something was up.... he was also cook for the day...

Based upon the rosy forecast, it was on to Adams, which I made quick work of before dropping back down to take the Buttress Trail (rather than the more difficult Madison Gulf Trail). This is a longer and "relatively" less arduous trail than Madison Gulf Trail, which should have a nuclear fallout sign on it to signify its difficulty both in terms of taking it downhill and/or in wet conditions. But the Buttress was no "walk in the park" either.

View Back to Madison Hut and Mt. Madison

View to Madison from the top of Adams

Nice place to get out of the rain. The trail goes right through this.

View out from Clam Rock. Nice campsite in this area.

Clam Rock- where I DID get out of the rain.

Nobody's going to take THIS bridge!!

So by the time I hit Clam Rock (3:00 pm) it had started showering. I laid up under the rock until the shower passed (a half hour) before heading on and getting dripped on the whole way back to camp.

After dinner I climbed into the sleeping bag, and 11 hours later I emerged from my shelter (Sun morning) to pack up my wet tent and head down the mountain. 

Gorham promised a Dunkin Donuts coffee (reward time). It seemed like everyone and his brother was driving through Gorham with 1-2 ATVs either in the back of their pickup truck or on a trailer. I seriously thought that maybe there was an ATV convention in town... but these babies were all mudded up and looked like they were headed out for more... ? I think I heard banjos...

Anyway-- a great weekend with the oldest daughter and then the wilderness. Cheap therapy if you ask me.