The First Hut and Dedication Hike (1888-1889)

The first hut in Madison Col was built in 1888 by the AMC and at the time it was considered the largest single undertaking of the young club.

(AMC Photo)

The goal was to build a living place among the Northern Peaks. Madison Spring was an obvious choice, but Peabody and Spaulding Springs, both near Edmonds Col between Mt. Adams and Jefferson, were also briefly considered. Madison Spring was favored due to its accessibility compared to the other locations. More accessible meant less expensive to build. Now, Madison is considered the least accessible of all the AMC Huts. 

The project began in June but actual construction of the hut was not underway until late August. The path to the hut from Rt. 2 had to be improved for use by horses, who carried loads to treeline (about three miles) with the remaining distance being carried by hand. 

The report written in Appalachia (Vol. V 1887-1889 p. 243) by Frederic D. Allen describes the season as being continually stormy, so much that it increased costs and caused delay. He describes a struggle to get the building weather tight. Two or three additional days of work were to be required in the spring to build cabinets and bunks. 

This is a similar building schedule to the one we will be using, with the 2010 crew starting slightly later but still with the goal of getting the building weather tight by winter. 

At the time of Allen's report the project had cost the AMC $736 with an additional $30 being necessary. The AMC's goal is to raise 2 million for the new Madison Hut, 1 million to go towards construction (most of that is to pay me) and another 1 million going towards an endowment for maintenance, naturalists and educational programs/displays. 

The original hut was just over 200 square feet (about 16 by 12) with stones walls two feet thick. 

On February, 1989, Rosewell Lawrence and Laban Watson made a Dedicatory Visit to the Madison Spring Hut (Appalachia Vol. V p 312). They hiked to the hut along Durand Ridge, giving them impressive views of King Ravine, which they thought had terrific toboggan shoots (were they NUTS?). The floor and bunks were not yet finished but after spending considerable time chopping ice from the door and getting the wood stove to draw, they declared it habitable in winter. When the wind blew just right the stove did not draw and Lawrence describes a sheet of flame three feet by two that would occasionally shoot into the room. He also described another problem with the wood stove. It's heat caused ice on the rafters to melt causing a constant drip. They smashed the ice form the rafters with a hoe, but still, the drips were constant. 

Later that same day they climbed Mt. Adams, and enjoyed a playful descent, sliding on ice sheets, back to the hut. 

The inaugural night in that hut was described as an enjoyable one, with both men stringing hammocks on either side of the wood stove. Watson fed the fire throughout the night using dead scrub collected in the fall for the purpose of the trip. Flames would periodically shoot from the stove towards the ceiling (not fun to awake to according to Lawrence), but the wind found enough cracks to keep the air inside the hut fresh. 

The next day they climbed Mt. Madison, with the wind almost blowing them UP the mountain on sheets of ice. The decent "...required some gymnastics. We climbed, slide, crawled, and when we were not careful we blew and flew up hill again."

The first trip to the Madison Hut, in parts, reminds me of my first trip to the hut. Snow, ice, wind and a scary descent from the summit of Madison into the Col. Unfortunately, on my first trip, the hut was not open. Nowadays it is boarded up and closed for the winter (I really wish it wasn't). 

"The Madison Spring Hut is a great institution; it's construction is one of the best things the Club has done... It is better than I expected it would be, realizing the difficulties. It will not only serve as a refuge, but will allow climbers to enjoy the high mountains, the views, sunrises, and sunsets when Mt. Washington is in cloud. It will be an excellent stopping place for those who wish to traverse the peaks from Washington to Madison, and it will render Adams more accessible. Last and by no means least, winter climbing is now rendered easier and more attractive...with such a safe and convenient shelter above tree-line as the Madison Spring Hut, there is no reason why Club Members should not have all the snow-shoeing and climbing they want. " ~ Rosewell B. Lawrence, 1889 

I am leaving the Highland Center in Crawford Notch shortly and heading back into North Conway to enjoy a burger and beer at the Moat Brewery... or maybe I'll go to the Mexican place for Margaritas, we'll see. Either way, I'm sleeping in my truck tonight and I'll drive up to Pinkham Notch tomorrow morning to fill out some paper work, then drop most of my gear at Camp Dodge to be Helicoptered up on Tuesday. I'll hike up to the hut tomorrow, probably taking the Madison Gulf trail from Pinkham. Tomorrow night at this time I'll be in Madison Col.