Mt Madison was an exciting hike: tropical heat & humidity at the base, then rain, wind, fog, hail, lightning, wind... terrible conditions for photography; my camera stayed sealed in plastic most of the time.
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One of our two campsites at Cove Campground. |
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The other campsite. Compare with previous photo: experienced hikers, tiny tents. Here, huge tents. These are the folks who brought a gas lantern, an air pump for their mattresses, ... Of course these are also the folks who brought the barbecue grill, so I can't complain. |
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The sun breaks through as we pass treeline on the east slope of Mt Madison. |
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When the clouds lift a little, we can see Howker Ridge. |
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View up towards the summit as the fog rolls down to meet us. |
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It's days like this that make you glad the AMC built cairns all along the trail. |
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Not visible in photo: 50-knot winds. Visible in photo, but just barely: the silhouette of the Presidential Range (upper left). |
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We found a cave so we could eat lunch out of the rain. |
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This always happens: Once we're almost halfway down, the weather starts improving. |
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(View just to the right of the last shot, showing some cliffs.) |
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Back at the campsite: Tom helps Victor baste the chicken, Michael prepares to cook some pasta, Sue sharpens her marshmallow-slaying stick, and Anton & I stand around taking photos. (I'm not sure where Justyna went during this photo.) |