Northeast Mountains and Lakes

  The big hike of the trip was up Howker Ridge to Mount Madison, then continue on to Mount Adams.  Howker Trail is a bit longer than some of the other routes, but one is rewarded with lots of up and down over the Howks to get there. Another bonus was this rock that had an exact map of the trail.

   Those bumps are the Howks.  He was a local farmer who cut this path and I guess he just liked going up and down more than around.  We dubbed it Moose Poop Ridge when we encountered an abundance of it up near or above the alpine zone.

 

  Once we made it up Madison we had a little break, but it was too early for lunch and as it turned out, just too damn sunny to sit outside above treeline for very long.  We headed down to Madison Hut for a break before continuing on up the second highest peak in the northeast, Mt. Adams, 5774'.  It's behind Gail in the upper photo.  Jefferson, and at 6289', Mt. Washington behind me.

   The ascent to the summit of Adams was punishing, just a constant, steep climb of total concentration of where each foot should go.

On Adams. looking back to Madison.

  The way back down was nothing to dismiss in any respect.  We thought we'd go down the same trail we went up but Gail overheard a guy tell some other folks of a less demanding route.  Wouldn't you know it: the long way again.  It was totally worth it as we went past the famous Thunderstorm Junction where many trails intersect, and this is where we were on the Gulfside Trail a bit.

    At the very early stages of planning the trip I read about, and then watched a video of, an area called King Ravine.  I was intrigued.  The Gulfside Trail passes right along the top of the headwall.

 

 A couple days later I returned alone and went to the floor of the headwall and explored some of the fine trails on both sides of the ravine, but none of the three that actually go up the 1000' wall.