Shuttle Driver in Gorham NH area

[mmais68569]

Looking for a driver to pick me up at the Amtrack station in Berlin, NH take me to a motel for the night & then next morning drop me on the trail on Mt Washington. Thanks for the help

Mike ( Mr. Mean) Florida

[peakbagger]

Amtrak does not run through Berlin NH. The closest Amtrak station to Mt Washington is probably White River Junction in VT. It is roughly a 2.5 hour drive to get to Mt Washington and the cost for that shuttle will be significant.

There is a daily north south bus from Boston that runs from the Amtrak station in Boston and ends its run in Berlin NH. It also stops directly at the base of Mt Washington at the AMC Pinkham Notch facility that has lodging. The AMC has a network of shuttles in the area so that you can get a ride back. The cost for the bus ride from Boston is going to be far less than the shuttle from White River Junction.

[mmais68569]

Amtrak does not run through Berlin NH. The closest Amtrak station to Mt Washington is probably White River Junction in VT. It is roughly a 2.5 hour drive to get to Mt Washington and the cost for that shuttle will be significant.

There is a daily north south bus from Boston that runs from the Amtrak station in Boston and ends its run in Berlin NH. It also stops directly at the base of Mt Washington at the AMC Pinkham Notch facility that has lodging. The AMC has a network of shuttles in the area so that you can get a ride back. The cost for the bus ride from Boston is going to be far less than the shuttle from White River Junction.

The bus from Boston is part of the Amtrak system so tickets can be purchased through Amtrak.

Mike

[Slo-go'en]

[QUOTE=mmais68569;1966292]The bus from Boston is part of the Amtrak system so tickets can be purchased through Amtrak.

Mike[/QUOTE

Even so, your coming by the Logan/Berlin Concord Trailways bus. Knowing that is important. The bus can drop you off at Pinkham notch at approximately 8:15 PM (but typically closer to 9 due to traffic coming out of Boston). BTW, there are no motels in Berlin, they are all located in Gorham, which is the next to last stop on the route and is closer to Pinkham.

Staying at Pinkham would be no more expensive then a motel in Gorham and you don't need the ride back. Or, if you want to stay in Gorham, you could always take the morning outgoing bus from Gorham and get dropped off at Pinkham. The bus leaves the gas station at 7:50 AM and is about a 15 minute ride.

When do you plan on doing this? Currently we are still covered with significant snow and it's still coming down!

[mmais68569]

[QUOTE=Slo-go'en;1966314]

The bus from Boston is part of the Amtrak system so tickets can be purchased through Amtrak.

Mike[/QUOTE

Even so, your coming by the Logan/Berlin Concord Trailways bus. Knowing that is important. The bus can drop you off at Pinkham notch at approximately 8:15 PM (but typically closer to 9 due to traffic coming out of Boston). BTW, there are no motels in Berlin, they are all located in Gorham, which is the next to last stop on the route and is closer to Pinkham.

Staying at Pinkham would be no more expensive then a motel in Gorham and you don't need the ride back. Or, if you want to stay in Gorham, you could always take the morning outgoing bus from Gorham and get dropped off at Pinkham. The bus leaves the gas station at 7:50 AM and is about a 15 minute ride.

When do you plan on doing this? Currently we are still covered with significant snow and it's still coming down!

Planning on leaving Fl.between 7/30 & 8/1 arrive NH on or before 8/3. Then heading south to Delaware Water Gap.

Mike

[Slo-go'en]

[QUOTE=mmais68569;1966331]

Planning on leaving Fl.between 7/30 & 8/1 arrive NH on or before 8/3. Then heading south to Delaware Water Gap.

Mike

Then you shouldn't have to worry about all the snow we still have. I hope your making reservations for the AMC huts. Your arriving at the peak of the summer hiking season so you can't count on finding space at the shelters/tent sites at the end of the day.

You picked a pretty rough place to start, coming right off a bus. Having taken the bus/train going the other way from Gorham to Tampa I would recommend a full day off to recuperate as you will be a zombie by the time you get here. Good luck.

[rickb]

Huts?

Plural?

One, maybe.

To to ease into things, head out of Gorham on Route 2 and pick up the trail right by that relatively new hostel that everyone seem to love, rather than picking up the trail in Pinkam Notch and the mobs of people there. You get an extra 2 days of prime hiking that way and you might get a kick out of the the hikers who will be there-- just don't pay too much attention to them :-)

The view from Mount Height wil inspire you for the week ahead!

[tiptoe]

The view from Mt. Height is indeed awesome, but heading south on that stretch of trail will give you a very steep descent into Pinkham Notch.

[peakbagger]

If the OP was bit more specific on where he wants to start the trail, we can give more specific instructions.

The AT crossing at RT 2 in Shelburne is right next to this hostel http://whitemountainslodgeandhostel.com/?page_id=36. It is still a steep climb but still a major climb up to Imp Shelter. The bus does not go by there but there is a lot of local traffic that will usually give a hiker a ride. There is a local shuttle firm but I don't think they would be interested in 5 mile shuttle http://www.trailangelshikerservices.com/shuttle.html.

The AT crossing of RT 16 at Pinkham notch is directly on the bus route. The Joe Dodge lodge is right there, they serve all three meals, so no need to go into Gorham. The first few miles south of Pinkham (actually you are heading North by the compass) is actually fairly level until the junction with the Great Gulf trail. I would suggest camping at the Osgood Campsite the first day and take your time. The alternative is humping up Osgood trail with a full pack in the late afternoon which is one long steep climb and the odds of finding a spot at Valley Way tentsite is slim to none.
Might be worth booking a night at Madison hut.

There is also the option to take the old AT route directly from Gorham up the Carter Moriah trail. It is a longer hike but better graded (although it does have a few steep stretches). There are a couple of motels in town and two hostels. The bus stops right on Main Street.

No matter how you do it you are gaining about 3000 plus feet of elevation with little or no switchbacks to get out of the valley and up on the ridge. It will be real easy to push too hard early and regret it later.

[mmais68569]

Thanks everyone for your help here is what I have come up with tell me if it is to aggressive.
Problem is that the only open hut for this week in Aug. is Mizpah Hut so tent or shelter other nights.

8/2 arrive Pinkerton Notch stay at lodge for night
8/3 go to Israel Ridge Shelter 8.6 miles
8/4 go to Mizpah Hut 10.7 miles
8/5 go to Ethan Pond campsite 9.3 miles
8/6 go to Guyot shelter 9.0 miles
8/7 go to Garfield Ridge shelter 5.5 miles
8/8 go to Franconia notch 10.3 miles
would resupply in North Woodstock NH

Thanks for the help

[Slo-go'en]

Or as the original post reads - "drop me off on the trail on Mt Washington" which implies a ride to the summit, which of course can also be arranged. Maybe he isn't looking to do the climb at all?

[mmais68569]

Alt on 8/7 could be Green leaf hut another 4 miles

Mike

[Slo-go'en]

There is no Israel ridge shelter, do you mean "The Perch" which is on the Israel ridge? I think so since the mileage adds up about right. That would be one heck of a walk from Pinkham, using the AT. You simply have no idea of the difficulty and it is significant. At best that is a 10 to 12 hour hike.

Coming from Florida and hitting the trail the next day? I'd take the coach up the auto road to the summit of Washington for sure and start there.

[Slo-go'en]

BTW, the Perch also fills up quick, it is a very popular spot. There are 4 tent platforms and the shelter sleeps 6. Since the 3d is a Monday, there is a remote chance there will be space when you get there. A chance of finding a spot would be at the Gray Knob cabin or maybe Crag Camp.

[mmais68569]

Coming from Florida and hitting the trail the next day? I'd take the coach up the auto road to the summit of Washington for sure and start there.
I like that idea Slo-go'en
where or how do I get a coach up Washinghton?

[Slo-go'en]

The Mount Washington auto road is a couple of miles south of Pinkham. They have vans which go up to the summit about once an hour. It should be easy enough to find their web site to get specific info on the schedule and rates. You could probably find a ride down to their base camp from Pinkham easy enough, there's a lot of traffic coming and going from there.

[Slo-go'en]

Opps, the auto road is north of Pinkham, towards Gorham.

I need to reup my donation so I can edit again!

[peakbagger]

Thanks everyone for your help here is what I have come up with tell me if it is to aggressive.
Problem is that the only open hut for this week in Aug. is Mizpah Hut so tent or shelter other nights.

8/2 arrive Pinkerton Notch stay at lodge for night - That works
8/3 go to Israel Ridge Shelter 8.6 miles - Few folks would comfortably be able to do this hike carrying a backpack if they aren't used to the trail conditions in the whites. About 1/3 of the hike is above treeline and if the weather is poor it could really slow you down.
8/4 go to Mizpah Hut 10.7 miles - This is aggressive but doable, the majority of the hike is above treeline with very rough footing, if the weather is bad it could really slow you down . Factor in that the day before you had done a very aggressive hike so plan on lots of ibuprofen
8/5 go to Ethan Pond campsite 9.3 miles - Doable
8/6 go to Guyot shelter 9.0 miles - Doable make sure you do the walk to West Bond to watch the sunset
8/7 go to Garfield Ridge shelter 5.5 miles - Doable - Make sure you take the walk to watch the sunrise
8/8 go to Franconia notch 10.3 miles - This is harder than you think but doable water is a significant issue. Once you start climbing Lafayette, there is no water until Liberty Springs unless you drop down 1000 feet to Greenleaf hut
would resupply in North Woodstock NH - be aware its a long walks downhill to North Woodstock

Thanks for the help

[mmais68569]

Thanks for everyone's help I really appreciate it, but I have had to abandon these plans. I tried all kind of combinations on dates & can not make anything work for reservations at the huts. So plans are Delaware Water Gap to Rutland, VT or vise versa have not decided.
I will make EARLY reservations in 2016 so I can get my dates in Aug.

Again thanks for all the help.

Mike ( Mr. Mean) Fl

[Slo-go'en]

Hiking through the Whites is a logistical challenge, especially at the peak of the summer season. We simply don't make it easy for people "from away".

DWG to the AT/LT Maine junction is a nice hike. You could go a little farther to Hanover, NH, which might be easier to get home from as there is a bus to Boston from Hanover and the White Water Junction Amtrak isn't too far away. Not so sure about getting out of Rutland.

If you start at DWG and go north, there is always the option of ending the hike in Gorham. That would get you here after Labor day when it's quite a bit quieter. Plus you could pass as a thru hiker at that point so getting "work for stay" at the huts is a possibility. Now you have three choices as to where to end the hike depending on what you feel like at time when you get to each decision point.