.August 2005
Lynn dropped Snoopy and I off at the trailhead for the Pine Link Trail. After a few hours we reached the top of Madison. I had been there before but this was Snoopy's first time on the top.
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There is no sign marking this as the summit but a couple of trails intersect here.
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Below - The A.T. follows the ridge in the foreground. The Carter-Moriah Range (also the A.T.) is in the background.
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Within a few minutes of starting my descent, I met a hiker coming from the other way.
"How far to the top?" he asked.
"About 10 minutes."
"How far to the Madison Hut?" referring to the hut down on the other side of Madison.
"Probably a half an hour or so."
"Is it crowded there?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean? Didn't you just come from there?"
"Nope."
This man apparently thought there was only one trail going up and over Madison because he responded with:
"What did you get dropped off by helicopter?"
"No, I took the Pine Link Trail."
"Oh"
The trail after this got very steep. In fact, it is one of the steepest sections that I've descended on the AT so far. I briefly checked out the Osgood Tentsite. There were warning sign for bears. It would be nice to see a bear, from a safe distance of course. Snoopy and I entered the Great Gulf Wilderness.
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Then we crossed a footbridge over the West Branch Peabody River.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I got a good view looking back to Mount Adams and Mount Madison.
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I took a brief detour to Lowe's Bald Spot. There is a good view from there as well. This is a popular destination for those who leave Pinkham notch and only want to hike a couple of hours. I got back on the AT, crossed the Mount Washington Auto Road, and came across the junction for the Nelson Crag Trail. I had come down this trail a month earlier with Dwayne and Brent from work, so the remaining 2 AT miles I have hiked before. A little while later I saw Lynn running toward me from the other direction.
"Guess what I just saw" she said very excitedly.
"What?"
"A bear and her two cubs."
"Wow, where?"
"Just a few minutes back."
I was excited for her but very jealous at the same time. She hikes 15 minutes into the woods and sees a bear while I have hiked all day not only today but almost every Saturday this summer without seeing one. We kept our eyes and ears alert on the way back to Pinkham Notch but no bear. One day I hope to see one, but more importantly, I hope to live to tell about it.
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