View Full Version : hiking thru the whites in september
i will be hiking from gorham nh to kinsman notch from sept 13th to the 19th
will i be able to avoid AMC huts and fee campsites.i will be hiking south from gorham to kinsman.i am very good at me camo stealthy camping style.:cool: neo
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=12610&c=577
Madison and Lakes close on September 16th. Depending on your pace you may not have any choice but avoiding them.
Footslogger
08-27-2006, 12:26
Roland is right on. I hiked past Lakes of the Clouds Hut on September 15th on my 2003 thru. Croo was boarding the place up and were not interested in dealing with any hikers at that point. Got to the Mt Washington summit and ended up hitching down the auto road for an overnight. Next day resumed hiking from the Mt Washington summit and hiked past Madison Hut which was locked up tighter than a drum.
If you're planning on staying at any of the huts above tree line you need to get there before September 15th.
'Slogger
Roland is right on. I hiked past Lakes of the Clouds Hut on September 15th on my 2003 thru. Croo was boarding the place up and were not interested in dealing with any hikers at that point. Got to the Mt Washington summit and ended up hitching down the auto road for an overnight. Next day resumed hiking from the Mt Washington summit and hiked past Madison Hut which was locked up tighter than a drum.
If you're planning on staying at any of the huts above tree line you need to get there before September 15th.
'Slogger
i am not planning on staying at any,i am hoping to stealth camp the whole way:cool: neo
Kerosene
08-27-2006, 13:05
Does anyone have a list of stealth campsites in the Whites? Hikerhead and I will be hiking from Glencliff to Gorham from September 9-17.
Also, as we have not reservations for a hut in order to keep our options open, do the huts take a credit card?
Does anyone have a list of stealth campsites in the Whites? Hikerhead and I will be hiking from Glencliff to Gorham from September 9-17.
Also, as we have not reservations for a hut in order to keep our options open, do the huts take a credit card?
i am going to camp anywhere i can hang my hammock out of site
here is a gret link on hiking in the whites:cool: neo
http://hikethewhites.com/index.html
http://hikethewhites.com/shelters.html
http://hikethewhites.com/huts.html
Does anyone have a list of stealth campsites in the Whites? Hikerhead and I will be hiking from Glencliff to Gorham from September 9-17.
Also, as we have not reservations for a hut in order to keep our options open, do the huts take a credit card?
check this out:cool: neo
http://hikethewhites.com/shelters.html
Does anyone have a list of stealth campsites in the Whites? Hikerhead and I will be hiking from Glencliff to Gorham from September 9-17.
Also, as we have not reservations for a hut in order to keep our options open, do the huts take a credit card?
you may want to consider this option:cool: neo
http://www.randolphmountainclub.org/
Does anyone have a list of stealth campsites in the Whites? Hikerhead and I will be hiking from Glencliff to Gorham from September 9-17.
Also, as we have not reservations for a hut in order to keep our options open, do the huts take a credit card?
It will be tough without reservations, tent sites are first come first serve though. and they do take credit cards, at least they did 4 years ago.
DawnTreader
08-27-2006, 16:26
I know lakes takes plastic for sure
the goat
08-27-2006, 18:16
Does anyone have a list of stealth campsites in the Whites? Hikerhead and I will be hiking from Glencliff to Gorham from September 9-17.
if you're staying at packrat's place in glencliff, he's got a list of 'em on the wall of the hostel.
Neo, I hope you have a great trip. Be prepared for all kinds of weather and stay safe. I am jealous, but hope to be up there again next year.
TJ aka Teej
08-27-2006, 18:41
i am going to camp anywhere i can hang my hammock
Which probably means you'll be camping legaly :cool:
Here's a good site, with live above treeline weather reports.
http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/cam/index.php
illusionistG
08-27-2006, 21:43
Neo...I was just up there while on R&R from Iraq. I'm a volunteer trail maintainer for the AMC (Huntington Ravine Trail that feeds up to Mt. Washington) I also flew into MHT as well. Couple of notes to help...
Most of your hike will be above treeline in the "Alpine Zone" Be ready for cool, cold, wet snow, hail, wind gust to 45 mph+, clouds, and sunny mild days. They have it all up there especially at this time. Weather can change very quickly especially in the norhtern Presedential Range (Madison and Adams)
You should have no problem finding stealth areas down in the 4 notches (Pinkham, Crawford, Franconia, and Kinsman) you'll cross. At higher elevations, but still in the tree zone, you can also find some stealth areas. The whites are infamous for their feeder trails up to the higher elevations, so you should be able to hike down to below treeline, be near a water source, and have a good spot. AMC request you go 200' off trail, but you know how that goes.
1. Be ready for cool-cold nights and early mornings. My son and I summited Mt. Lafayette on the Franconia ridge trail (AT) on 18 Aug. and it was 45F at 0600 when we started the climb. Also, two days earlier Mt. Washington had hail mixed with wet snow.
2. Mileage will depend on weather and how good trail shape you're in. The AT in the Whites is one of extreme up & downs with lots and lots of rocks. expect 8-12 mile days to be best.
Remember...you are not only entering the Whites but you will be on trail during the silly season. Folks from all over the northeast crowd to the whites in Sept. to leaf peep. That means hip hop cloths, high heels, beaufont hairdoos, jewelry you name it...especially on Mt. Washington !!!!
Hope this helps. A lot of folks when they get to Franconia Notch hitch into Woodstock for a zero. Go to the local Woodstock Inn Microbrewery and have the Ale. Once you reach Kinsman Notch you can hitch east on Rt. 112 back to Woodstock and end your segment with another Woodstock Ale capper !!!!!
Best of luck.
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fiddlehead
08-27-2006, 21:47
I have my route and know 3 stealth sites that I use to get me thru the whites. I won't try to describe them here as i like to keep them stealth.
But, with your hammock, you don't even need flat so what's the problem?
i usually stealth near: Pinkham, Edmonds Col, and Saco river. or,
skip Edmonds, and go all the way to Crawford and stealth there. With the hammock, i always assumed that THAT was the big advantage: you can camp anywhere although i would think it is still tough and probably not too safe above treeline (or eco-friendly)
The only problem I can see that you'll face is finding a place to hang your hammock between Madison Hut (actually, the north side of Mt. Madison) and Mizpah hut. Other than descending to the Perch (Randolph Mountain Club shelter south of Madison Hut, off the AT to the west, with suitably sized trees), I can't think of any place with trees large enough for hammocking. I, personally, wouldn't risk damaging the krummholtz by tying a hammock to them.
The only problem I can see that you'll face is finding a place to hang your hammock between Madison Hut (actually, the north side of Mt. Madison) and Mizpah hut. Other than descending to the Perch (Randolph Mountain Club shelter south of Madison Hut, off the AT to the west, with suitably sized trees), I can't think of any place with trees large enough for hammocking. I, personally, wouldn't risk damaging the krummholtz by tying a hammock to them.
this campsite is less than a mile from madison hut:cool: neo
http://hikethewhites.com/valleyway.html
I didn't realize that it was open again. I stayed there once and passed it a couple of other times. It's a pretty steep .8 mi. - nothing like some of the ups and downs you'll come to first. Careful coming down Wildcat!
Gray Blazer
08-31-2006, 07:36
There are probably a lot of sites if you head off on any side trail and go below tree level. I know for sure there are several tent sites on the Mt Eisenhower trail.