We had been waiting for the right weather to hike the big peaks in the Presidentials, and the 25 looked as good as we could hope for - summit temperatures in the teens, light winds, and plenty of sun. Our previous hike earlier in the week had had a similar forecast and didn't turn out that way, so we were hoping this forecast would hold. We started out from the Cog Railroad parking, and went up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail. Trail conditions were good, but this trail gets pretty steep in the middle. The slope moderates around treeline, where we were able to see some Vermont landmarks in the distance - Mt Mansfield and Willoughby Gap.
When we reached the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, we took a short break in the sun, and then started toward Mt Monroe. The wind picked up as we got higher on Monroe, but it wasn't bad. We didn't know it at the time, but Monroe would be the coldest and windiest summit of the day. We paused briefly on the summit for pictures and then made our way back to the hut. From the hut Mt Washington looks close despite being about a mile and a half away.
On the way up Washington, looking back at Monroe and the Lakes of the Clouds Hut
The climb up Washington felt slow, but I think we actually kept a good pace. It's been a while since I've been in the Presidentials, and I think it's harder to judge your progress when covering larger distances above treeline. The surface was crusty and supportive, so as we neared the summit, we took more of a direct route than the trial does. We were a little surprised to find that we had the summit to ourselves on such a nice day. Although it was still early.
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The infamous summit sign
As we left the summit and continued north, we made somewhat of a straight line towards Mt Clay. We could see the cairns marking the trial, but a direct route seemed better. When we crossed the cog railroad, we loosely followed the Gulfside trail until it turned away from the tracks, at which point we stayed on the trail.
Descending Washington with the remaining peaks in front of us
We opted to skip Mt Clay and stay on the Gulfside trail. We had nice views to the west through this section. Somewhere through here we saw the first other person of the day. We would see a couple more people between here and the summit of Mt Jefferson. It still seemed odd to us that there weren't more people out on such a nice day.
A view to the west from the side of Mt Clay
As with Washington, climbing Jefferson seemed to take longer than it should have. Once we made the summit, we had the summit to ourselves. This streak would probably not continue when we got to Adams. We saw a few more people on the descent of Jefferson.
Heading toward Adams
Looking back at Washington, Jefferson, and the Great Gulf
We took a break on the way up Mt Adams, soaking in the sun and views. The climb up Adams seemed less drawn out than Washington or Jefferson, and we were soon approaching to summit. Just below the summit, Boghollow called out to us from the summit. He had hiked up from Appalachia, and we had planned to meet him somewhere between Adams and Madison. Our timing couldn't have been better, as he had only been on the summit for a couple of minutes.
Looking at Mt Madison from the side of Mt Quincy Adams, with the Madison Spring Hut near the center
After the hike down to the Madison Spring Hut, we took a break before heading up Madison. After the bigger peaks, the climb up Madison felt pretty quick. We stopped for a bit on the summit to take pictures and talk to other hikers. After returning to the hut, we made the hike out to Appalachia. The sun, wind, and temperatures held out for us, and it was a perfect day for getting these peaks.