{shortcode-4d662bece15b6ce68f0f0aad69cecae6eaf3dbb6}As someone who downloaded Strava two weeks ago, I realized I needed to log something more impressive than my walks to and from Mather and the Yard to humbly flex on my seven followers. I decided it was also high time to touch some grass before the semester picked up. So, I signed up for the first Harvard Outing Club trip of the season to hike Mount Madison via Valley Way Trail, an 8-mile hike with a 4,041-ft elevation gain. A little ambitious? Yeah, probably. Not as ambitious as taking MCB 60 and Chem 17 together though, that’s for sure (help).

The Start (5 a.m.):

After much anticipation (okay, two days), it was finally hike day! The 5 a.m. walk from Mather to the MAC was the perfect warm-up, and I grabbed a bagel and donut from Dunkin’ for the ride. Admittedly, I was asleep for most of the drive to New Hampshire, but right after we left Boston, I was so excited to see trees and the mountains start to appear as we drove further away from campus and toward our destination.

Miles 1-3:

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Things were going well for the first few miles up. It was a beautiful day, perfect for hiking. I started to feel the burn in my legs, but it wasn’t too bad yet. As we climbed straight up the mountain, I was reminded that switchbacks don’t exist in New England.

Miles 3-5:

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Taking in the view on the way to the summit! Super pretty — we were very lucky to have had excellent weather! Over these first few miles, we gained 3,000 (???) feet in elevation.

Mile 5

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Oh… this was a fun sign to see! We were above the treeline at this point, and the weather was still pretty perfect. The landscape had changed, and there were so many cool alpine plants: small yet hardy, withstanding an unforgiving environment, much like Harvard students.

Mile 5.5

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We stopped by the AMC Madison Spring Hut to fill up on water and take a super quick lunch break before reaching the summit. Nothing hits more than a mid-hike bagel and some cold mountain water.

Scramble to the Summit:

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Just half a mile left! This next part was going to require some scrambling above the treeline!

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Scrambling rocks! Used my hands for support as I navigated uneven footing and tried to stick to the path and not trip over everything. The view just kept getting better and better as we went further up. I was super excited to take in the panoramic views on such a lovely day.

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There were still some more rocks ahead! But there’s Mount Washington in the distance! Mount Adams is the mountain on the right. It’s kind of insane how high up we were.

Summit:

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SUMMIT!!!!! If you look closely enough, you can see Mount Washington (and the auto road — which is where you can get the iconic “this car climbed Mount Washington” bumper sticker in the background!!). We spent some time here just taking in the gorgeous view!

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Obligatory summit BeReal!

Descent:

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What goes up must come down… time for the descent.

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A cairn! And some more rocks! Wow, my knees really hurt, and I’m quite aware of how little cartilage cushions my knees.

Miles 6-9:

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We swapped so many fun stories to pass the time, from crazy blocking drama stories (like someone building an actual wall made from drywall to split up a double??!?!) to stories about high school shenanigans. Truly, one of the best parts of Harvard Outing Club trips is the people you get to meet and the friends you make :)

Mile 10:

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One last look at the woods before we return to civilization.

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Insane trip for the Strava books. (Also we somehow logged two more miles than advertised on AllTrails?) 10/10 would recommend it and do it again, though.

The hike was so much fun and the perfect way to meet people in the Harvard community. It was great to leave the campus bubble for a day, recharge in nature, and touch grass before the semester picked up. I know I’ll definitely be back at some point in the near future, and I hope to hit the rest of the Presidential Range during my time at Harvard.

I would highly recommend checking out a HOC trip (shoutout to Josh and Maya — our awesome HOC leaders) or, at the very least, trying to get off of campus and spend, like, more than five minutes in nature.