Wildcats, Madison, and Adams | 7/4/25
- Izzy Risitano
- Jul 7
- 7 min read
After the spring we've had, it was nothing short of a miracle that our camping trip was both sunny and relatively crowd-free. Since my O.G. hiking partner, Michelle, is in her final days of living in New England, we set aside a weekend to bag some of her remaining forty-eights and spend our third consecutive Fourth of July together.
Although we waited until the forecast settled to plan much of the trip, it all came together quite beautifully with Friday & Saturday big peak days, and Sunday a reset before driving home in heavy Lakes Region traffic. As usual, I had us avoiding other hikers for the most part via creative tracing. Stay tuned for how to accomplish that even in the Presidentials!
7/4/25 | The Wildcats
When I hiked the Wildcats 4 years ago, Liz & I took the increasingly popular carspot up 19 Mile Brook and down Polecat out of fear of a full Wildcat Ridge Trail. I even recall that same summer when my old Coach (the mom of the first & only pug to hike the 48) texted me she went up Wildcat Ridge Trail with the dogs, and it was no walk in the park. Ever since, I've turned my nose up at the AT's steepest mile, despite the reassurance that Woof the pug (no shade, he's a beast) did it.
When the day finally came to hike the Wildcats with Michelle, I knew we'd take Wildcat Ridge Trail, and fortunately, some friends joined us, allowing for a great time and a lovely carspot!
Gretchen, Willow, Michelle, and I got a relatively early start to the hike and didn't see anyone until we were two hours in. I'm not sure if it was the hour or the rigorous trail, but this surprised me with the holiday. Or, perhaps some were detoured by the high-flowing crossing of the Ellis River in the first few seconds of the trail.
After the time-consuming river crossing, we started to gain immediately. The trail lived up to its expectations of long and rocky ascents, yet I found the terrain more fun than frightening. Even in the most infamous 0.5-mile section, the trail work went so above and beyond that the sense of safety was constantly there. Between rock steps, minimal erosion (considering the grade), and wooden steps bolted into the slab- I would do this again in a heartbeat! But... only for an ascent.
As we topped out Wildcat D, the promised wind delivered with a nice wind chill of 38 degrees. We didn't see much for views as the clouds were moving as fast as the wind; however, we had plenty of sunny pockets during the rest of the morning. As we headed to Wildcat A, I was reminded how much I disliked this rolling ridge until we arrived at the lovely outlook to the slides down Carter Dome. Then it was all worth it!
Coming down from Wildcat A, a bit frightening in topography, is again not so bad due to great trail building. However, this is the perspective of somebody who is not going right back up the other side of Carter Notch afterwards! When we reached the base of the Notch, I could've sworn the hut was right there, but I was dismayed to realize it was another 0.3 miles into the heart of the notch. Luckily, nobody was counting on proper bathrooms or pre-filtered water, so the four of us just carried on to 19-Mile.
As anyone who regularly follows my hikes may know, I rarely repeat trails. I am like an anti-gridder in every way. However, this was my 4th time hiking the 19-Mile Brook Trail in the last 4 years, and I never tire of it. The soft descent was dreamy after the more intense one down Wildcat A, and it was very heartwarming to see all the young families heading to the Hut for the night!
As the temperatures warmed, we resisted the urge to dive into the Dam near the end, but got to see some more daring hikers take the plunge. That planted a seed for me the next day, I'll tell you that much!
When we rolled back up to the parking lot, it was full with a few cars parked down 16, but nothing crazy. With one hike down, we said our goodbyes, then headed home for the night- a lovely Hip Camp in Jefferson!
Stats: 8.05 miles, 2803 feet
7/5/2025 | Madison & Adams
When I was working on my 48, hiking Madison & Adams was my hardest day. The relentless ascent, sun exposure, and knee-screaming descent are something you never forget doing for the first time. In the time since, I've come to love this area, but I wanted to do my best to have Michelle have a better first impression.
Now, I'm a little selfish but I'm not an asshole, so I spent about an hour toying with routes that would get some new trace miles for me while keeping the scare factor at minimum. I ended up grabbing six new trails, while keeping terrain familiar at the most critical elevation gains by looping: Maple Walk - Brookbank - Valley Way - Brookside - Lower Bruin - Valley Way - AT (Osgood & Gulfside) - Lowe's - Hincks - Amphibranch.
We started at 7 am to cope with the triple threat: Saturday, holiday, and a perfect weather day. Still, we had to park at least 0.10 miles from Appalachia and were crowded in the few moments we spent on Valley Way that morning. Thankfully, we banked a left when everyone else went straight up Valley Way, and saw one person the entire time we were on trails that All Trails doesn't recommend.
The kind crossings and waterfalls we began to experience through Maple Walk & Brookbank were even more lovely than I'd hoped. While I'd once dreaded planning the non-summit trails of the Randolph 100, I soon adjusted my attitude and fell in love with these paths. Each path had its beautiful characteristics, quietness, and excellent footpath. I was reminded why I contribute to the RMC, as you can see every donation dollar at work through their meticulous craftsmanship and excellent footpaths.
As we briefly tucked back onto Valley Way to connect to the Brookside, we were passed by five parties, which would've been annoying to continue all morning. Thankfully, nobody was doing The Brookside, and we got to talk as loud as we pleased. Though surrounded by the cliffs of Dome Rock and the Ravine created by Snyder Brook, the trail gains elevation easily through beautiful woods. While there were many signed falls, there were even more nameless beauties to pass through the woods, drowning out all the sounds of nearby Valley Way.
At Duck Falls, the final waterfall before Watson begins to charge up Madison, we washed slug slime off our hands, then proceeded up Lower Bruin. While this trail sounded tough in the Guide, I found it easy and well cared for. That's a surprise I will take happily!
Lower Bruin threw us back to Valley Way, which was less busy at this hour. We had a nice, increasingly difficult ascent to the Hut, where we took a nice break before tapping Madison. It was unsurprisingly busy up top, so much so that we ran into someone from high school (ours only had 400 people- so this was odd), who we didn't recognize until hours later. The same continued over to Adams, at least until we split off the Airline ascent of Adam's- which I despised so much 4 years ago and knew Michelle would hate. Instead, we crossed the ever-pleasant Great Gulf and took Lowe's up. Although this route is longer, we arrived about the same time as the groups we'd just seen on Madison. I strongly recommend going up Adam's that way if boulder fields are a weak point for you!
As we arrived back at Thunderstorm Junction, we chatted with the kind Trail Steward, then began our true descent. Coming off of the Adams and Sam Adams' Saddle down to treeline is tough on sore legs. We watched the clouds roll in a bit, a relief for my sunburn, and eventually made our way to Gray Knob where we met Jack the caretaker. With our last break now behind us, we went down Hincks, which was not as easy as I told Michelle it would be, but overall, I enjoyed this trail. Though we descended steeply to the Pentadoi, the trail work was again on the mark, making for a safe journey over mossy rocks and steep stream-side slopes.
At the Pentadoi (a signed junction where trails go in every direction), we went down Amphibranch, which I promised would be "one of the finest footpaths in all of the Northern Presidentials," according to the Guide at least. Sometimes, the language in the Guide can exaggerate my opinions of trails, but in this case, Steve could not have said it better. Amphibranch descends around 1600 feet yet feels like a lovely flat path underfoot.
I was so impressed with Amphibranch, especially in how clear the water bars were, that I started walking down the drainage paths two or three times! Everything about this one was tranquil, from views of Cold Brook to the flats, to the beautiful fairy garden bridge, and finally, the sugar maple operation. Again- I rarely repeat trails, but I cannot wait to come back and run this one!
When we came parallel to the road on the final stretch of Amphibranch/Link, we sped up a bit in anticipation of cold water & a hearty dinner. At the trailhead, we wasted no time getting across the street for a quick river bath before dinner.
That evening, Michelle expressed her newfound appreciation for trail work as well, which I pointed out to her all day. Like many hikers, we both thought those rock stairs and water bars magically appeared before I started getting into giving back! I cannot express enough gratitude to the RMC- if you're not already a member, you can join here. They also sell cool merch.
Stats: 10.55 miles, 4940 feet
Pondicherry Odds & Ends | 7/6/25
To top off our weekend, we packed up camp and did some conveniently located hikes I hadn't gotten to trace yet. First, Michelle & I enjoyed the Mud Pond trail, which I'd been curious about since I heard it was handicap accessible. This 0.6-mile path travels through wide gravel and a gorgeous boardwalk to a small pond with wildlife viewing opportunities. I did the whole hike in sandals, which I didn't regret one bit. Check this one out, even if tracing isn't your thing!
Next, we drove over to the Owl's Head trailhead and crossed the street to hike Slide Brook Trail, a 0.6-mile Cohos section connecting Rt. 115 to the Presidential Rail Trail. Coming from 115, the trail is at first grassy, then swampy, and finally wooded. We took the trail all the way out to the bridge on the rail trail, affording decent views of Waumbek, then turned around. Michelle, unfortunately, picked a tick off herself, but that was expected with the high grasses we'd walked through.
Despite our traffic-filled drive home, we made the most of this holiday weekend. Grateful as ever to spend another Fourth of July somewhere far-out with Michelle. Until the next holiday weekend!
this is so cool!