Winter Hiking: Mt Madison, January 6th 2019

Eric and I were not terribly excited when we saw the forecast for our hike last Sunday. It was expected to be a high of 15 degrees, 1-3inches of snow, and winds to 50 MPH.

WE DO NOT WANT A $15 HELI EVAC.

So, we decided that we would mosey on up (knowing that 95% of Madison is below treeline) tag the hut, and get TF out. (or, alternately, we would bail the hell out at any time before then.)

Confusingly, it was about 33 degrees (and snowing a little) when we arrived at the trailhead around 9:00 (omg so late. I may have never seen the trailhead in the daylight!)

There seems to be a snowbank in the way

So, yes. It was a nice mile morning. The wind was NBD and trail conditions looked great. We got our winter gear together, and off we went.

Ready to depart!

Have I mentioned how much I appreciate the snow smoothing out the trails? Because I really do. Winter hiking is pure fucking magic.

OMG LOOK AT THE TRAIL, NO ROCKS!!

We really had to strip down during the first mile- we had prepared for very cold and windy weather and it was anything but. (I mean, it was seriously cloudy and snowing lightly. but plenty warm enough for a winter day.) As we know, no matter how warm it is at the base, you are going to need Death on Mt. Everest attire as soon as you get above treeline, so we were happy to have it.

Down to the base layer, snapping the selfies

One of these days, we will go on a hiking adventure that does not require 300,000 outfit changes. Today was NOT that day (but it gave me time to snap a few pics!)

It occurred to us that we have never begun a hike up Madison in the daylight. It was a really pleasant experience, and it is such a pretty area. It was fun to come to the place on the trail that we normally see the sunrise (and see, what? clouds!)

"We usually see sunrise here! Today, we see clouds." (but it's still pretty.)

Not shockingly, as we gained elevation the temps began to drop. The weather was still solid though- barely any wind, still warm enough (20's) and steady light snow. We felt reasonably well equipped in micro spikes (the warm temps for the first mile caused us to pick up a number of snowballs- which is rather annoying.) There were several spots late in the ascent when we could have done with crampons due to some more significant ice, and the incline.

And, we are bundling back up.

We paused at the Oh Shit sign to really bundle back up. Even though we planned to speed very little time above treeline, we could hear the wind and we didn't like the sound of it. Let me tell you, getting into extra kit basically on the side of the mountain was not an easy feat. One occasionally forgets that the homestretch to get above treeline on Valley Way is basically a straight uphill pain in the ass. We were basically sideways, hauling ass.

STAY AWAY FOOLS!!! YOU GONNA DIE!!

We scurried to the hut. Tagged it's ass. Ran away. (well I paused to talk to a guy coming down from Adams, and he told us about the 90MPH gusts. Ummmm, no?)
It was pretty damn cold, and making the final stretch to the summit held no appeal to either of us. Visibility was pretty shit, and we just don't need to take any extra risks.

Hello Hut

As usual, right below treeline the conditions became more pleasant. Basically delightful.

Scurrying away from the cold

GRRRRRRR. I wrote a really excellent and witty descent half to this story, and it vanished into thin air. Ain't nobody got time.

So, to wrap up:

We saw exactly one bit of blue sky.

And it was lovely. And short lived.

Minus the pesky rocks of summer it was easy peasey, we faffed around while going down. Had snacks. Took layers on and off. Took photos.

Eric had beardcicles 

 We returned to the parking lot in the same weather we had started in. About 30 degrees and flurrying snow. Solid January day.

Done

Stats:
Time: 3 hours 55 minutes (according to Strava, this included about 40 minutes of stopped time. Considering how many times we had to pause to change clothing, this seems fairly accurate. And this total time includes the stopped time.)
Mileage: 7.3
Elevation gain: 3,647
Challenge level: Moderate/Challenging. The snow takes out some of the intensity, and much is safely below treeline. But this is a hike with some pretty steep sections that would be exhausting for a novice. No fiddly technical bits on this hike, and no major river crossings (although I believe there could be some damp spots in the Spring.) The lack of exposed time on Valley Way is what keeps this in the moderate zone for me- I find that the difficulty/danger is much higher when above treeline.