Mt. Madison June 21, 2006

More days of rain since our first hike on Wildcat but today promised to be sunny with a 0% chance of storms. A 0% chance day is rare in the mountains and it is always a good day to climb a high peak; a climb on a peak with long above tree-line exposure can be life threatening in a storm. We also still needed a climb without difficult crossings due to the high water and although it was early in the season for a peak with a long vertical climb we choose one - Mt. Madison. The trail we took to the hut below Madison, Valley Way was never very steep but it was rocky (coming down the trail we felt every jolt). From the hut we took the Osgood trail to the summit – again not exceptionally steep but very rocky and not especially well marked. The views from Madison were not exceptional but were unique and enjoyable in their own way. Up and down Osgood, since it is on the rocky summit cone, views abound - many better than the summit. This was #32.

Distance 8.6; Climb 4100 ft; Elevation 5366 ft.