More Peaks to Climb: 71>71 Adams' July 31, 2013 (or, A morning with Sam & Abigail)

In the Northern Presidentials there are at least four named peaks in the Adams Family. Mt. Adams (John) at 5799 feet, John Quincy Adams to the northeast at 5410, Sam Adams to the west at 5585 and Abigail Adams further out toward the northwest at 5355. All but JQ are on my 71>71 list. I hiked Mt. Adams last September but now needed to bag Sam and Abigail.
One didn't need to be especially weather clever this week, watching the forecasts, to figure out that Wednesday was going to be a great day to be above treeline. So my plans were made, and I was at the Appalachia parking lot and on Airline Trail at 5:15 this morning.

That early in the day the woods are still dark, but soon the sun peeked through. Watching the woods light up and seeing the color changes was fun. My reverie was interrupted only by a Pileated Woodpecker jack hammering on a hollow tree trunk right above me and by a woman running a Presi-Traverse that came up behind me rather quickly.

As the morning wore on I broke out of the woods into scrub and on to the Knife Edge along side King Ravine. Morning fog and clouds were lifting fast off the peaks above. Impressive.

Airline Trail comes up the rocky ridge in center of photo.

Across the Ravine you can see Randolph Mt. Club's Crag Camp and in the other direction, AMC's Madison Springs Hut.

Sam and Abigail, my destinations, are shown here. And after following Gulfside Trail to Thunder Storm Jct. I stumbled my way up the rock pile that is Sam Adams.