hard climbs, butt kickers & grueling miles

[peter lechthoff]

my favorites from Springer Mtn to Fontana Dam:
1/4 mile: (Day 9) Bear Pen Trail to Albert Mtn Firetower 394 feet up (30%)
1/2 mile: (Day 13) Sassafras Gap II to Brown Fork Gap Shelter 584 feet (22%)
1 mile: (Day 12) Grassy Gap to Swim Bald 853 feet (16%)

"no idea"

[Malto]

Totally agree on the first two. I actually have Jacobs Ladder (S. of Brown's Fork Gap Shelter) at 620' gain over a third of a mile. This is the only climb in three years that I had to stop a take a break. The Albert Mtn section was steep but short enough to grin and bare it. I would add another to your list. I think the 1000' drop off Blood Mtn is one of the tougher sections

[WILLIAM HAYES]

some climbs in the 100 mile wilderness

[Cookerhiker]

The White Mountains (beginning with the north side of Moosilauke) through Maine to Avery Peak and the descent into Safford Notch.

[burger]

Can't they build some @$(*%&! switchbacks? This is why the PCT is 100 times better than the AT.

[hikerboy57]

Can't they build some @$(*%&! switchbacks? This is why the PCT is 100 times better than the AT.

better or just different?

[Lone Wolf]

Can't they build some @$(*%&! switchbacks? This is why the PCT is 100 times better than the AT.

switchbacks thru granite boulder fields. don't be a weenie

[Kerosene]

From Springer to Fontana, the only climb that I found objectionable were the ascent of Courthouse Knob just north of Bly Gap. I had made fantastic time up from Dicks Creek Gap that morning, ate lunch at Bly Gap for 45 minutes, but still bonked about 3/4 of the way up on a warm April afternoon.

I did everything from Standing Indian to Fontana Dam with my daughter at a much, much slower pace.

[Del Q]

Mt Moosilauke was TOUGH! Two Dartmouth girls heading North told me I was 1/2 way up, told them that was not even funny..........they were right, LONG tough UP from south to north, the down was also a hard way to begin the next day.

[Northern Lights]

Totally agree on the first two. I actually have Jacobs Ladder (S. of Brown's Fork Gap Shelter) at 620' gain over a third of a mile. This is the only climb in three years that I had to stop a take a break. The Albert Mtn section was steep but short enough to grin and bare it. I would add another to your list. I think the 1000' drop off Blood Mtn is one of the tougher sections

I couldn't stop on Jacob's Ladder for fear of falling back down the trail, that was a steep sucker.

[blackbird04217]

Kelly's Knob - somewhere early on GA? NC?

Perhaps it was my fault as well. I didn't go get water prior to my climb because I was too lazy to check my actual amounts, and figured the bladder was mostly full still. Also the water was a ways off the trail if I recall correctly. It just kept going up and up, it was a rather warm day which gave me a sunburn, until a small opening. I figured I was at the top, took a sip of water, and only had a swallow remaining... Whoops. "No problem," I thought, "I'm on my way back down." Whoops. I walked around a corner and the trail kept a climbing for a long time yet. Just writing this brings back my thirst, but I enjoy remembering the day Kelly's Knob gave me a subtle beating.

[peter lechthoff]

mixed up Sweatwater Gap and Sassafras Gap!

so here the steepest ups I found on google earth from Springer to Fontana Dam:

1/4 mile:
Day 9 Bear Pen Trail to Albert Mtn Firetower 394 feet up
Day 13 Sweatwater Gao to Brown Fork Gap Shelter 325 feet
Day 12 Grassy Gap to Swim Bald 315 feet
Day 13 Brown Fork Gap Shelter to Brown Fork Gap 312 feet
Day 4 Tesnatee Gap to Wildcat Mtn 305 feet

1/2 mile:
Day 13 Sweatwater Gap to Brown Fork Gap Shelter 584 feet
Day 12 Grassy Gap to Swim Bald 505 feet
Day 7 Bly Gap to Sassafras Gap I 492 feet
Day 12 Wright Gap to Grassy Gap 486 feet
Day 5 Unicoi Gap to Rocky Mtn 479 feet
Day 6 Addis Gap to Kelly Knob 469 feet

1 mile:
Day 12 Grassy Gap to Swim Bald 853
Day 5 Unicoi Gap to Rocky Mtn 781
Day 2 Horse Gap to Sassafras Mtn 676
Day 4 Neels Gap to Levelland Mtn 604
Day 9 Wallace Gap to Winding Stair Gap 604
Day 11 Burningstown Gap to Cold Spring Shelter 600

"no idea"

[DLANOIE]

Anything between Rt.. 26 Grafton Notch west to NH border is tough.

[hikerboy57]

mahoosuc arm, wildcat, moosilauke, any and all notches in NH/ME.

[scudder]

The Priest is a 3000 ft ascent in four miles if you're going SOBO. The last 2 miles are a 1000 ft /mile.

[jersey joe]

I recall the climb out of the NOC with a full pack kicking my butt pretty good. Climbing Killington seemed like it took forever too.

[Driver8]

The Taconics have some strong gradients. Nobo, the last 0.4 mile to Lion's Head has significant stretches of 20% and more, the heart of ascending Everett is a 0.3 that's about 33%, with passes that are 40+. Southbound, Jug End is noted to be tough - I've not done it yet - and the north side of Bear Mtn is about 0.25 at about 37%. The north side of Mt. Prospect in the Greylock Range, too, is tough - 1500' climb in about a mile and a half of AT.

None of this, however, approximates the difficulty of the easiest east-west ascents of Mt. Washington. It's a beast. I gather the easiest way up it is via the AT from Crawford Notch, which spreads the 4000+ feet over 10+ miles. You'd have to go up and down Greylock via the Thunderbolt Trail to the AT, twice, to roughly approximate the Boott Spur Trail up W, which thoroughly kicked my fanny last summer.

[Cookerhiker]

Mt Moosilauke was TOUGH! Two Dartmouth girls heading North told me I was 1/2 way up, told them that was not even funny..........they were right, LONG tough UP from south to north, the down was also a hard way to begin the next day.

I consider descending the north side of Moosilauke in wet conditions to be the scariest part of the entire AT.

The Taconics have some strong gradients. Nobo, the last 0.4 mile to Lion's Head has significant stretches of 20% and more, the heart of ascending Everett is a 0.3 that's about 33%, with passes that are 40+. Southbound, Jug End is noted to be tough - I've not done it yet - and the north side of Bear Mtn is about 0.25 at about 37%. The north side of Mt. Prospect in the Greylock Range, too, is tough - 1500' climb in about a mile and a half of AT....

And speaking of the Taconics, don't forget St. John's Ledges a bit further south in CT - short but very steep.

[Kerosene]

If we're going to extend this north of Fontana Dam, then someone has to mention the NOBO climb of South Kinsman in NH. I thought that was incredibly tough, especially considering I was fresh starting out of Eliza Brook LT.

Descending (or climbing) the northern side of Moosilauke is certainly memorable. For me it was a fast descent that weakened my quads and ultimately led to knee problems. Even though I typically don't mind ascents, I'm really not looking to the climb of Wildcat out of Pinkham Notch.

[brian039]

The most grueling part of the trail for me was the Mahoosuc Range in the first part of Maine. Hiking poles are useless here as you have to grab a hold of trees, roots, rocks, and sometimes just sit on your ass and slide to negotiate some of the obstacles on the trail.