Down low, in the Mt Washington and Androscoggin Valleys, it wasn’t bad. Winter still but we hit the low 50s at one point when the sun was trying to take over. We could see the cloud layer above and wondered how bad it was above treeline. Up there there’d be cool winds and misty clouds — what they call “hypothermia weather.” It did look like they might have had an undercast on Mt Washington, and that would have been sweet, but we couldn’t be sure. Anyway, our team wasn’t on Big George. They were hiking Mt Adams, and it appeared to be socked in completely, at least from our perspective down low. We learned the team didn’t summit. Brutal ground conditions, mostly. This is more common than one might realize along winter’s edges. Adams is wicked tough! And originally Madison was on the dance card, too, but first thing’s first. According to an update received from Redline Guide Chase Hall, they decided to call it about one-half mile from the top.
A fog bow or white rainbow is similar to a rainbow; however, as its name suggests, it appears as a bow in fog rather than in rain.
Sunday, March 3rd 2024: Madison and Adams (Attempted):The objective of hiking is to have fun but also to return home. I had a guest sign up for a Madison and Adams winter hike and the weather was supposed to be on the warmer side, I didn’t expect it to be in the 50s just yet with two weeks left in winter. I was hoping for at least one summit with my guest. We had to bail from the hike a half mile away from the summit of Adams. The snow at elevation was just so soft that every couple of steps you were falling into a post hole. When the snow melts in the sun it becomes very soft and forms balls of snowballs under your spikes it gets very loose and you end up making post holes for other hikers. I was very open with my guest and told them that a half mile in post hole snow could take up to an hour just to reach the summit. The guest was happy that he got himself to that point and we talked about it for some time and came to the conclusion that turning around this close was the best thing to happen from the day. I was very happy that my guest was understanding of the elements and was very smart to let me do my job. I am a guide for this reason because I want to help people. My guest was a superstar. He knew what the mountains were about and I was very relieved when we both agreed that turning around was the best alternative in that moment of making the choice to turn around. It was a tough call to have with your guest but we were happy with the final call. My guest was happy and I’m happy that he can come back in the summer to hike Mt Adams again. —Chase
