I woke up late at Moose Brook State Park— there was no rush, as the temperature was perfect and it was not going to be hot… so no need to get up at 5 am. Curiously, there were not so many people at this nice campground— maybe the Canadian dollar value was not helping?
After a hearty breakfast, it was time to begin this challenge! I arrived at Appalachia Park— it was full, so I thought, “There must be a lot of people doing the challenge today!”
I found a spot along Route 2, and put on my new Inov-8 trail rock shoes, and my new Ultraspire one-liter hydration pack, and tossed in a Clif Bar. At the bottom of the trail, I met a guy who said it took him three hours to come down from Madison Hut. I thought, “I'm doing the Mount Adams Challenge and my goal is 2 hours, 10 minutes. He just said, “Good luck!”
It was 11:00. My goal was two hours up, an hour or two down.. and then my IPA beer reward at SAaLT Pub.
On the run, I came to the first big intersection of Brookside. Luckily, some guys were there, because I was not sure where to go. One of the guys showed me the path and said, “Take it easy!”
I didn't take any photos. I figured I'd do that on the way down! It was a narrow path and I needed to check where I put my feet.
I got to Watson Path, and ran downhill briefly. Why down?! I wasn't sure. But, it wasn't long, and then I was across Valley Way, along the poorly marked section to Scar Path.
Scar Path was a nice run. I just had a regular watch with no GPS. I thought, “Why not make it two hours instead of 2:10?” Scar was quiet, with just two people there.
Next up? Airline. Not much running on that section. And then… I came out of the woods and saw the whole thing, and thought, “Well, 2 hours and 10 minutes is okay!”
In fact, I was much less confident. There was a lot left, and it was climbing on rocks, so there was no running to be had. Fortunately, Gulfside had good rock placements. At the last section to the summit, there were more people, looking at me strangely: “Why is this guy in such a rush?!”
The last section was better than I thought, though, and I got to the summit just before two hours.
There were just five people on the summit, including two other “frenchies,” so I asked them for a suggestion as to which way to go down. They suggested Airine, but I had already been that way, so I headed for Madison hut. On the descent, I remember how downhills can hurt your knees. I got to Madison Hut, and realized Madison summit will have to wait for the next trip!
It was slow going down, and I realized my IPA would have to wait. It was hard thinking of that beer… when I was out of water and moving slowly. I finally made it to the brook on the map, where it was less steep, and I started to run for my IPA. I stopped in a small brook to cool down, which was beautiful.
At 4:10, I was at the car. I had a quick shower, and headed to SAaLT Pub. It was full, but a nice girl asked me if I wanted a beer while I was waiting. I got the beer, pasta, and a second beer… a perfect finish to a very nice day!
It was great to have done this challenge. Thank you so much. It was very fun, and I hope there are more events like the Mount Adams Challenge.
Pierre Beaudoin St-Mathieu-du-parc, Québec, Canada
