Valley Way Trail, October 2019
Total Distance: 7.3 mi
Total Elevation Gain: 4,048 ft
Everyone needs days to work on their mental health. And that’s exactly what this hike was for me.
I was in the middle of my first semester of part-time grad school while continuing to work full time. I had jumped head first into a class that I wasn’t prepared for. And there were many nights that I had come home from work or school feeling absolutely overwhelmed.
I knew I needed a day to recalibrate.
So, on a Tuesday afternoon, as I was sitting in class, I contacted the Hub North Hostel in the White Mountains asking if I could come up that night. To my surprise, just a few minutes later I received a response saying I was welcome to come. It was decided, I went home that afternoon, packed up and headed to the Whites for a reset.
The hostel was located in Gorham, NH so I had many options for hikes. Mount Washington crossed my mind, but after doing some research, I settled on Mount Madison. From the reviews it sounded like a really challenging hike – some even saying it was the hardest summit on the Presidential Traverse. But I needed to clear my head and there’s no better way to empty your mind than to put your body through a grueling workout.
By the time I got to the hostel it was 9pm and pitch black – I hadn’t been able to see anything on my drive in. Funnily enough, I had the whole hostel to myself – just the type of solitude I was looking for – and I settled in that night with my mac-n-cheese and map of the White Mountains and planned my route.
The next morning, as I left the hostel I was shocked to see how beautiful the mountains looked. All this beauty was right in front of me the previous night, I just couldn’t see it in the dark! Somehow this felt like a metaphor for how I was feeling at the time and it was a refreshing way to start the day.
I started the hike around 7:30am and, again, I’m shook by the beauty of the trail. This is Fall in New England – it doesn’t get much more picturesque than this. I slowly ascend this monstrous mountain, taking many pictures along the way, but mostly just enjoying the time alone with my thoughts.
Near the summit of Mount Madison resides the AMC Madison Spring Hut. As I approach, I see the only person that I’ve encountered that day. We briefly chat, and find out that both of us had decided to play hooky for the day to spend some time outdoors. Again, somehow this felt like another sign that I was doing the right thing.
Shortly later, I decided to make the last push up to the summit of Mount Madison. To say this was challenging is an understatement – I was jumping between boulders on an exposed face with 30 mph winds – but that exposure also lent itself to beautiful views of the fall foliage that had overtaken the White Mountains.
I didn’t spend much time at the summit, but this hike had provided the reset that I needed. The entire way down I thought about everything I had to be grateful for. And the number one thing? I was so grateful to be in a position of having a job, furthering my education, and for being able to take the occasional mental health day to escape to the mountains.
Trail Leader Travels 