Split Ascents on Mount Madison, the northernmost Presidential in the White Mountains

Mount Madison and the Presidentials, including nearby Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson and Mount Washington all rise well above treeline into the alpine zone. Weather can be very changeable and harsh without much notice, but on this trip, we lucked out with clear skies, but a steady wind.

We were joined with by our friends Greg, Barb, and Patrick on this hike and began at the Great Gulf Trailhead on Route 16, just outside of Gorham. From the trailhead, we followed the Great Gulf Trail to the Osgood Trail. At that trail junction, Jeff headed up the Osgood Trail to the summit, while the rest of the group continued on Great Gulf Trail to the Six Husbands Trail, then to the Madison Gulf Trail, then along the Parapet Trail and reconnected with the Osgood Trail for an ascent to the summit of Mount Madison. From the summit the entire group descended down to the Madison Spring Hut, where we had a good long rest and then took the Star Lake Trail to the Buttress Trail, descended the Buttress Trail to the Six Husbands Trail, and finally out to the Great Gulf Trail, which we followed back to the trailhead.

This was a 12.5+ mile hike with about 4,300 feet of elevation gain. We’d classify this as a difficult hike, with rock scrambles, a few small climbs over large rocks, and then a very long and rocky descent on the Buttress Trail.

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