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VictoriaM
01-11-2007, 17:37
I'm debating on whether to stay in the AMC huts. What kind of weather can I expect through that area in late July? Would it be in my best interest to sleep indoors?

The reservation system confuses me a bit, too. I've alwasy hear that you need to reserve ahead of time, so I went to the AMC site to check it out. The prices are ridiculous! $87 dollars a night!? Considering what I've heard about them (like thrus not being allowed to eat with the other guests even if they've paid the same) I'm not sure I want to spend that much.

So, should I tent? What if I change my mind...can I walk in and get a bunk?

Lone Wolf
01-11-2007, 17:41
I'm debating on whether to stay in the AMC huts. What kind of weather can I expect through that area in late July? Would it be in my best interest to sleep indoors?

The reservation system confuses me a bit, too. I've alwasy hear that you need to reserve ahead of time, so I went to the AMC site to check it out. The prices are ridiculous! $87 dollars a night!? Considering what I've heard about them (like thrus not being allowed to eat with the other guests even if they've paid the same) I'm not sure I want to spend that much.

So, should I tent? What if I change my mind...can I walk in and get a bunk?

If you pay then you eat with other paying guests.

KG4FAM
01-11-2007, 17:47
Considering what I've heard about them (like thrus not being allowed to eat with the other guests even if they've paid the same) I'm not sure I want to spend that much.
If you pay for it you get to eat with the hut dwellers. If you do work for stay you are a second class citizen at some huts, third world trash at others, then the next one you are the crews best friend. I was lucky enough to be soboing through the whites so the nobos gave me the intel on the crews that were not friendly. If you do the work for stay you will sit outside during dinner and eat the leftovers, then sleep on the dinner tables(it is better than in the bunkroom where they snore like chainsaws) all for minimal work. It is not a bad deal at all if the crew doesn't treat you like a bum.

The Old Fhart
01-11-2007, 17:55
VictoriaM-"So, should I tent? What if I change my mind...can I walk in and get a bunk?"There are places in the Whites where you cannot camp, and it could be dangerous to try. The only section where you may have to stay at a hut is between Mispah Hut and Osgood Tentsite, a distance of about 15 miles. Keep in mind this is a very long 15 miles and you probably don't want to plan that as a day's hike. By the time you get to the Whites, you will know about work-for-stay and other options. Lots of hikers go thru every year without problems. Keep an open mind about the huts, consider staying at one(even the Dungeon at Lakes), and you will be just fine.

rafe
01-11-2007, 17:55
There are at least a couple of non-hut campsites: Liberty Springs, Garfield (near summit,) Guyot, and The Perch. Not to mention the shelter at Ethan Pond, etc. There's a small nominal fee at some of these. If you don't have the cash, the caretakers will write you a "bill" that you can pay whenever. Once you're on the east side of Rte. 16, you're cool again except for Speck Pond campsite. The Presidential ridge is really the worst-case scenario -- from Rte. 302 (Crawford Notch) to Rte 16 (Pinkham Lodge.)

Footslogger
01-11-2007, 17:59
[quote=VictoriaM;301996]I'm debating on whether to stay in the AMC huts.

===========================================

I personally don't know of any thru hikers from 2003 who actually "made reservations" at one of the huts ...but there may have been some. Because of uncertainties in terms of miles/day hiked, weather and the like I would think that locking-in on a specific date well in advance of being there could be a dice roll.

That said ...I did stay at 2 huts on my thru, both of which were "work-for-stay" situations. In both cases I got a bunk and a decent meal (albeit AFTER the full paying guests). If I had it to do all over again that is what I would do.

While there is no guarantee of landing a work-for-stay deal I think that given the full price of an overnight's stay it is worth the risk.

'Slogger

Peaks
01-11-2007, 18:07
Read the AMC advice to thru-hikers. It tells you about work for stays and such. Also, read the information in the Companion or Wingfoot. Because you can't predict your arrival date, I would not recommend making reservations at this time. But, if you want to eat and sleep with the rest of the paying guests, then expect to pay $87.

mountain squid
01-11-2007, 18:14
I was in the Whites last year at the end of June. In general the weather was bad. On Mt Washington, in the morning it was sunny, 40F with 60mph wind gusts. However, after 1200, the weather turned real bad. And quickly, I might add. Ensure you have cold weather gear by then.

As to the huts, many thru hikers will do a "work for stay" as already mentioned. The "Croo" will give you a task to perform, sweep the floors, do the dishes, clean the oven, etc...and then you can stay the night without paying the exorbitant price. You will probably sleep on a table.

Personally, I wouldn't rely on a work for stay, though. SOBO's might also be coming through at that time and I don't know if the Croo would tell you no, but I wouldn't want to be denied and then have no where to stay for the night. If you plan ahead of time you can stay at the campsites for, I think, $8 and even Lakes of the Clouds has the "dungeon" (although I wouldn't want to stay in the dungeon). At Lakes of the Clouds, I would try for a "work for stay". Stay in the dungeon as a last resort for the $8.

You can try and find "stealth" sites as well, but above treeline that will be difficult...

You should be able to get good info at the Hikers Welcome in Glencliff, NH just before the Whites and then plan accordingly.

See you on the trail,
mt squid

Fannypack
01-11-2007, 18:20
By the time you get to the Whites, you will know about work-for-stay and other options. Lots of hikers go thru every year without problems. Keep an open mind about the huts, consider staying at one(even the Dungeon at Lakes), and you will be just fine.
ditto, it is way tooooo early to be planning (IMHO) anything to do with the AMC huts... all in good time... There are so many miles before NH, it will all work out... In 1996, I worked for stay at Zealand Falls Hut (stayed on porch) , Lake of the Clouds Hut (bunk) & Madison Hut(bunk) , i got to eat but of course i had food just in case they did have enough food for us.

TJ aka Teej
01-11-2007, 18:31
You should be able to get good info at the Hikers Welcome in Glencliff, NH just before the Whites and then plan accordingly.
Good advice. You'll get plenty of info there, from what the croos are like to where to stealth.*

* when I use 'stealth' I mean camp legally and LNT-y.

VictoriaM
01-11-2007, 18:33
Nope, I'm a planner. The more I think about now, the less guesswork there is later.

So...night temps?

VictoriaM
01-11-2007, 18:34
My last post was in response to Boston.

icemanat95
01-11-2007, 18:45
It's a pretty mixed bag really.

You can get around them pretty easily outside of the Presidential Range. You may get stuck up there unless you are willing to either put in some extra miles to trek off trail a short distance, or to get up real early and charge along.

If you hit the Prezzies in a stretch of good weather, I highly recommend taking your time in here. There really is no reason to rush over them. Stop at Crawford Notch and resupply before going up into the Presidentials so you have plenty of food and fuel, then go up. Below treeline and outside of a 1/4 mile radius around the huts, you can camp in the woods as long as you are at least a certain distance from the trail or flowing water. I can't remember the exact regulation. Finidng good sites might be tricky though. Or you can climb up to Nauman Tent sites which sort of co-exists with Mizpah Hut. From there meander around to Mt. Washington and descend into Tuckerman's Ravine and grab a shelter at the Hermit Lake Shelters. If you've got a cell phone, you might want to call ahead to Pinkham Notch and make a reservation if you are going to be hitting on a weekend. You'll wake up in the morning looking up through Tuckerman's Ravine. Climb Tucks again to the Summit of Mt. Washington and continue over. Climb the various Presidential peaks and poke around up there a bit. Depending upon how far you get, choose to either take a pleasant and reasonably short 1 mile side-trip down to either the Perch, Gray Knob cabin or Crag Camp and spend the night under the hospitality of the Randolph Mountain Club (very reasonable fees) The Perch has tent platforms and a mostly enclosed shelter, Gray Knob is a caretaker tended cabin, Crag Camp is not tended, but is regularly visited by the caretaker from Gray Knob. All have privies. The one at Gray Knob is pretty darned good...though really cold in February. All these facilities are self-service only. Crag Camp and Gray Knob are excellent choices should the weather go foul on you. A quick 1 mile hike back to the trail the next day sets you up for a nice day climbing over the Adamses (Mt. Adams has five or so peaks), Madison and then down into Pinkham and over Wildcat to Carter Notch where there is a self-service hut. If you got further than the turn off to Gray Knob etc. then there is the Osgood Tent Sites about 2.8 miles past Madison Springs Hut. Descending from Madison Springs in the rain is a pain in the backside. I fell twice in the course of about 1 hour on this section. Those were the only two times I actually fell during my whole hike. Bent one hiking pole all to hell, and had the devil of a time getting it straightened.

From Pinkham Notch you are past the Huts.

I enjoyed my Hut stops in the Whites. I worked at Galehead and Madison Springs and paid at Mizpah because I wanted to get an early start over the Prezzies on a gorgeous day. I stayed self-service at Carter Notch and passed the other Huts mid-day.

I had a fairly expensive hike though. That one night at Mizpah cost something like 65 bucks.

rafe
01-11-2007, 18:48
From Pinkham Notch you are past the Huts.

Just a thought... even if you're not planning to stay there, stop at Imp Shelter (on the Carter-Moriah ridge) and check out the view. Quite impressive, and will feel even more so -- knowing you just walked over it. :)

KG4FAM
01-11-2007, 18:51
On the topic of a roof over your head in the whites, the ski patrol building on Wildcat was open this year. Is that a regular thing?

Jack Tarlin
01-11-2007, 18:55
As usual, Iceman covered things pretty well.

Victoria: I only stay at the Huts (using the thru-hiker work/stay option) if the weather is bad or threatening. I generally don't want to stay in a place that crowded, and the real problem is that if you do the work/stay, your "work" is invariably done well after breakfast, after the Hut guests have left. (Most Hut work/stay jobs involve cleaning up bunkrooms, public areas, bathrooms, etc. and this can't be done efficiently if the guests are still there). What this means is that in many cases you won't get started on your day's hiking til 9:30 or ten, which affects your whole hiking day.

Except for about one full day (from Mizpah Hut to Madison or just after it), where your overnight options are limited because you're at or above treeline, there are really more places to camp than you might think.

If the weather's good, I think you're better off camping. I'd keep the Huts in mind as a "back-up" alternative during questionable weather, but I wouldn't plan on staying at them, and I sure in hell would never pay full price at them, which is ridiculous.

hopefulhiker
01-11-2007, 18:55
Overall i liked the huts I stayed at madison, lake of the clouds and one other... They were great! They do make you sweep the floor and you have to sit and watch everyone else eat but I really enjoyed the stay... They have little nature programs and the staff is generally nice...

VictoriaM
01-11-2007, 19:03
I'll pay full price for any I have to stay in. No work-for-stay for me.

Jack Tarlin
01-11-2007, 19:10
Up to you.

Of course it means you can get an early morning start.

And after sharing a crowded, fetid bunkroom with 24 New Yorkers and their boisterous offspring, I assure you you'll WANT an early start.

I can think of around 400 better ways to spend 89 bucks, but whatever works. :D

TJ aka Teej
01-11-2007, 19:11
Night temps for a day in late July:
http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/summit.php

Record High: 68°F (1959)

Record Low: 31°F (1987)

Average Daily Temperature: 49°F

Average Monthly Melted Precipitation: 8.02

Average Monthly Snowfall: Trace

Total Snowfall So Far This Month: T (Hail)
-----------------
Watch the sunset. Get up for the sunrise.

Lone Wolf
01-11-2007, 19:11
I'll pay full price for any I have to stay in. No work-for-stay for me.

That's the spirit!:D

WalkinHome
01-11-2007, 21:24
Nope, I'm a planner. The more I think about now, the less guesswork there is later.

So...night temps?

VictoriaM

Never forget, no plan has ever survived contact with the enemy (adapted to the AT LOL) Be safe and have a great hike.

rafe
01-11-2007, 21:33
Never forget, no plan has ever survived contact with the enemy


Or make a plan (http://www.terrapinphoto.com/at_fspec_081505.pdf), but expect to hack it as you go.

Having made the plan in the first place, you know what the choices are. If A doesn't work go to B; from there to C if necessary. Rinse and repeat.

Fannypack
01-11-2007, 22:02
I'll pay full price for any I have to stay in. No work-for-stay for me.to me work for stay is not necessarily being cheap or being able to leave when u like the next morning, it (work-for-stay) is just part of the thru-hiker experience. It is just another thing (e.g., staying in the Dungeon or sleeping on a table or in the floor) or way that u share your thru-hiking experience with your peers. ENJOY.

Hey, by the time u get to the Presidentals, u may have figured out a way to slack from US302 to US2 (oh, the logistics of this and actually u could put that $87 a nite hut fee to better use on the cog ride up & down on one of your slacking days)....

Oh the memories, slacking from NH16 to East B Hill Rd (Andover) and never used Bruce at Hikers Paradise & only paid for one ride & that was to the side trail off Success Pond Rd into the north end of the notch. Had new boots & didn't want to hike out of town with full pack & new boots (candy a*s, huh, LW?) so stayed in Gorham for 7 days (slacked on 5 of them). Might be a candy but i got that Ben & Jerry's every nite from the 24 hr Marathon station... and that is doing trail magic for yourself...

Frosty
01-11-2007, 23:24
Never forget, no plan has ever survived contact with the enemy No enemy was ever defeated by engaging him without a plan. Relatively easy to change your plan in the middle of action, tougher to adapt to changes if you had no idea what to expect to begin with.

Plans keep you from buying seven days of food in Boiling Springs, or leaving Fontana with a couple of Lipton meals.

Askus3
01-12-2007, 02:10
Note that Carter Notch Hut is no longer self-service. So you are not past the huts until Imp shelter going northbound. But if you look after you cross NH 16 at pinkham Notch, you can find plenty of stealth campsites in the Wildcats & Carters.

Pokey2006
01-12-2007, 04:17
I agree it's a bit early to be planning, at least in much detail, your trip through the Whites. I get the enthusiasm, though. The planning is half the fun!

But don't forget that you WILL have opportunities to jump online and ask/research these same questions later on down the road.

I am glad you asked, though. I still have to do the Whites. And I am still curious, as Victoria might be, as to what people have to say about stealth camping sites in this section. I'm thinking of going minimal, cowboy camping even, in some parts (remember, I can pick and choose my weather).

So are there sections where stealth camping is just impossible, others where it works well, and others where it can be done, but only if taking a sidetrail down below tree line? If so, where, exactly?

Are stealth sites a viable option to avoiding the huts?

rafe
01-12-2007, 08:50
I am glad you asked, though. I still have to do the Whites. And I am still curious, as Victoria might be, as to what people have to say about stealth camping sites in this section. I'm thinking of going minimal, cowboy camping even, in some parts (remember, I can pick and choose my weather).


Stealth camping can be a b!tch in the Whites simply because flat ground is at such a premium... and flat ground on the ridge-tops (or near any AMC facility) is off-limits. Plus, the woods are often incredibly dense. Hammocks would be useful here. There are ridge-runners, and they know all the obvious spots. There are blue trails galore where the situation is much better. But invariably, the AT takes the high road and the ridgeline is well-patrolled.

KG4FAM
01-12-2007, 14:57
I'll pay full price for any I have to stay in. No work-for-stay for me.
Just because you want to doesn't mean that you will be able to. Those huts are pretty popular and fill up quick. I only got an actual bunk in Lonesome Lake. Work for stay is not that bad. I stayed at Camp Dodge where all they have is work for stay. They had a great cook and the dinner that they served was the best that I have eaten on the trail. And they made enough that it was essentially AYCE. Also they let me pack a lunch the next day and they made sure that I had gotten multiple candybars from their candy box. You could pay for Joe Dodge lodge and buy their dinner, but I got much better food that you couldn't buy.

Jack Tarlin
01-12-2007, 18:07
There are untold thousands of good places to camp in the Whites. As has been previously posted, the only tought part as far as the A.T. is concerned is the stretch from Mizpah Hut to just after Mt. Madison, where the Trail is close, at, or above treeline. Even there, there are good alternatives reasonably close to the Trail (The Perch, Grey Knob, etc.) In short, there are plenty of perfectly legitimate places to camp, and plenty of stealth places as well. As long as one isn't stupid, like pitching right on the Trail, or at a place which is posted and signed as a prohibited spot, or obvioulsy breaking the law (camping above treeline, etc). you won't have a problem.
Getting thru the Whites is easier than you think. Most thru-hikers are in New Hampshire 12 or 13 days. There is perhaps one, at most two days out of this stretch where you have to give real consideration to where you'll spend the night. Otherwise, it's not a problem.

WalkinHome
01-12-2007, 18:39
No enemy was ever defeated by engaging him without a plan. Relatively easy to change your plan in the middle of action, tougher to adapt to changes if you had no idea what to expect to begin with.

Plans keep you from buying seven days of food in Boiling Springs, or leaving Fontana with a couple of Lipton meals.

Wasn't suggesting not planning-merely that any initial plan is a very fragile idea extremely prone to change. I had a great time planning my hike and when I got off the plane in Atlanta said to myself "Jeez, now I gotta HIKE this mother." LOL

Mr. Clean
01-12-2007, 19:52
Like others have said, only between Mitzpah and Osgood, just the other side of Madison, will you have a long extended and exposed section to hike. This makes Lake of the Crowds hut a good stopping point, being close to halfway through this stretch. I certainly wouldn't get uptight about this section, though, just remember to have your winter gear by Moosilaukee.

As far as camping regulations, the Forest service has some basic rules such as no camping within 200 feet of water or the trail, or a quarter mile from a hut or official campsite, and no camping where the trees are less than eight feet high. This leaves it pretty wide open, especially if you have a hammock.

Do be careful on this stretch if it's cold and wet, which it often is. Adjust your plans and get below treeline.

neo
01-12-2007, 22:34
i was treated very well at the 6 huts i stopped at,i stayed at madison springs,lake of clouds,zealand falls and galehead huts,i stopped for
lunch at mizpah and lonesome lake,i spent 16 bucks in the whites
8 at liberty springs and 8 for lunch at mizpah and lonesome lake
i really enjoyed the whites last september hike.:cool: neo

shiningpathb4me
02-07-2007, 21:50
I wouldn't give one thin dime to the AMC. Never have and never will.

Skidsteer
02-07-2007, 22:03
I wouldn't give one thin dime to the AMC. Never have and never will.

OK.

Welcome to WB, shiningpathb4me!

Hikerhead
02-07-2007, 22:25
No matter what you do, make sure you stop in for lunch at the huts. The food is great and the price for a bowl of soup can't be beat, 2 bucks for a bowl or as many as you want, I can't remember. Mizpah had free cold leftover pancakes that were fantastic when dunked in their soup. Madison Springs had the best been soup I think I've ever had, but then I could have been starving...no. it was some awesome stuff.

You may even gain weight thru here. :)

If you hammock there's plenty of places to hang. On the ridgeline above Liberty Springs before Little Haystack, in the valley between Lafayette and Galehead, from N Twin to Crawford you're mostly in the trees, from Crawford Notch to just before Mizpah there's lots of hammock spots. From just above Mizpah past Madison you'll be above treeline. In the Gulf Wilderness you'll be back in the trees. The ground thru the whites is covered mostly with large rocks but not large enough that you can't hang a hammock over them or between them.

rafe
02-07-2007, 22:34
I wouldn't give one thin dime to the AMC. Never have and never will.

Angry much? I look at it this way... the shelters and campsites in the Whites aren't anywhere near as disgusting as the ones I dealt with in the Smokies. I don't care much for the huts, but four bucks for a tent platform is no more than a mild irritant. These days I'll go out of my way to avoid AMC facilities, but I understand some of the issues they're up against.

Grampie
02-08-2007, 10:54
At first thought the $87 is a lot to pay for a place to stay when you are doing a thru. You have to consider that what the Huts offer is basicly more for tourist types who don't want to carry everything they own on their back. You will have to pay more than that for a regular motel room in the area. I would not recommend paying the price and staying at a Hut while doing a thru.
Work for stay is another thing. That I would recommend doing, if nothing more just for the experience. A hiker, who had hiked thru the Whites, gave me some advise that I used and it worked well for me. He advised me to get to the Hut early, if you want to work for stay. Arrive around 2:30/3:00, ask to work for stay. If the say you can return a little later and ask the person incharge if you can do some work now, "because I like to get an early start."
They will normaly let you do something than and in the morning you can eat and get going ahead of the other thru-hikers. This will allow you to get a jump on the others to get a work for stay job. I did this at Lake of the Clouds and Madison Huts. Both places I worked little, ate well and had a bunk to sleep on. At Carter Notch Hut I asked to work for stay and the guy in charge let me and several others have a bunk and stay for free. He also had loads of food that he gave us to cook and take with us.
You must be conserned when hiking thru the Whites. Do a little planning, have the proper gear and watch the weather. I stopped at the Hikers Welcome in Glencliff and there was a lot of information on places to camp without having to pay a fee.

DawnTreader
02-08-2007, 11:14
87$ for a night in the Huts isn't outrageous. I've stayed twice and had a great time both nights. Think about how much a Holiday Inn Express would cost if you stuck it on some exposed remote mountain ridge, and had them include an excellent 5 course dinner and a hearty breakfast..... I guarentee it would be more than 87$. The Hut Croos generally do a good job providing work for stay for thru hikers who are too lazy to camp below tree line and think they need some sort of discounts for taking a 6 month vacation.

Grampie
02-08-2007, 11:47
The Hut Croos generally do a good job providing work for stay for thru hikers who are too lazy to camp below tree line and think they need some sort of discounts for taking a 6 month vacation.

Well you have your right to say what you want, but a thru-hike isn't a vacation. It's more like a job, and a hard one at that.
I think you are wrong to assume that any thru who works for stay at a hut is "too lazy to camp below treeline."
Have you ever experienced a thru-hike or are you one of the "tourist hikers" I referred to in my other post?;)

DawnTreader
02-08-2007, 12:12
nope.. not a tourist hiker, nor a "thru hiker"... just a plain old long distance hiker. And although you may think its "like" a job, its not a job... I've been out long enough to know that a good long distance hike is recreation, and I consider my long distance treks Vacations, and good ones at that. 6 months travelling on foot in the backcountry=VACATION

4eyedbuzzard
02-08-2007, 12:24
Well you have your right to say what you want, but a thru-hike isn't a vacation. It's more like a job, and a hard one at that.


Hiking is certainly demanding. But "more like a job"? When it gets to that point I'll definitely quit.

"Hon, I'm quitting The Trail for 6 months to get a job...":-? :rolleyes:

Sly
02-08-2007, 12:33
Once you get to Ethan Pond you can have the guy radio ahead for reservations. I did this to stay in the Dungeon at Lake of the Clouds. Thinking now I may have also been able to have made a reservation at the Nauman Tentsite (which was full when I got there) at Mizpah Hut instead of doing a work for stay at the Hut.

Sly
02-08-2007, 12:38
IMO, a thru-hike can certainly be like a job. The difference being instead of getting up every day and working for pay, you get up and hike which is work.

Boat Drinks
02-08-2007, 13:06
There are places in the Whites where you cannot camp, and it could be dangerous to try.

Why dangerous? Please elaborate.

Lone Wolf
02-08-2007, 13:08
Why dangerous? Please elaborate.

you'd be totally exposed to incoming weather. a lot of it is above treeline

rafe
02-08-2007, 13:09
Why dangerous? Please elaborate.

Camping above treeline is absolutely not recommended. In the popular areas there are ridge-runners to enforce that.

MarcnNJ
02-08-2007, 13:38
We camped above treeline once in the whites on last years thru....it was risky, but the place was too nice to leave....we would have kept going for sure if the weather wasnt so nice....at dawn, to see the sun rising over Maine, while the full moon was setting over Mt. Washington made the risk worth it for sure....It was my favorite campsite on the whole trip

rafe
02-08-2007, 13:42
Love the avatar, MarcnNJ. :)

Gray Blazer
02-08-2007, 13:43
Hiking is certainly demanding. But "more like a job"? When it gets to that point I'll definitely quit.

"Hon, I'm quitting The Trail for 6 months to get a job...":-? :rolleyes:I have to agree. when hiking becomes like a job it's time for me to quit. Now, with that in mind, it's getting to be a job for a Floridiot like me to get my cold weather hiking gear together. I want the WB "Oprah" to do a cold weather hiking makeover for me and my gear.

Marta
02-08-2007, 14:10
When I was passing through the Whites last summer the mass of the NOBOs were also coming through in the opposite direction. Competition for work-for-stays was intense. In order to get one you pretty much had to knock off hiking at 2 so you could be the first or second person to ask for it. A major subject of kvetching by NOBOs from the Wilderness all the way to Goreham had been problems they'd had in the Whites.

I didn't want to get into the work-for-stay race so I called the AMC from Goreham and made reservations at the huts. I had to adjust my plans a bit, but it was no big deal. Once I started through the Whites I changed my schedule and the AMC reservation people worked with me on that. It happens all the time and they're good about it.

I would NOT recommend making reservations now, before you start your hike. You really have very little idea of when you might reach NH and it would be a shame to have the necessity of getting there on a particular date ruling 80% of your hike.

The huts are full of families, youth groups, and Scouts. Being a thru-hiker guest there is like being an animal in a zoo. They're all changing into clean clothes for dinner (pressed jeans, leather belts with metal buckles...stuff you can not believe they carried up the mountains) and having fun with their families and friends. Being a thru-hiker in that crowd is very isolating and strange. It sucked my will to hike. After a few days I was very anxious to get back to regular shelters.

OTOH, it's almost like slackpacking since you don't have to bring food or a stove or even water treatment (if you carry that). You can even get away without using a sleeping bag since they provide blankets.

At the last hut I stayed in one of the Croo's moms was there and she invited me to contact her when I passed near her house in PA. I did and had a great visit with food, laundry, comfortable bed, homemade wine, and excellent conversation. Pure Trail Magic.

Also at that hut (Lonsesome Lake) I just happened to mention that I was running low on snack food and that the hut had run out of candy for sale. The other guests loaded me down with granola bars, etc. Nice people...

Marta/Five-Leaf

Butch Cassidy
02-08-2007, 14:29
Loved the The Huts, did two work for stays. Easy job and spent time with fun people. My job on the forth of July at Galehead was to give a presentation on my Hike. Not bad for two meals and warm stay. I was early in the season, that might have helped. Butch:cool:

neo
02-08-2007, 15:34
i was treated very well at the 6 huts i stopped at,i stayed at madison springs,lake of clouds,zealand falls and galehead huts,i stopped for
lunch at mizpah and lonesome lake,i spent 16 bucks in the whites
8 at liberty springs and 8 for lunch at mizpah and lonesome lake
i really enjoyed the whites last september hike.:cool: neo



it really makes a difference when you pass thru the whites at the end of the season:cool: neo

Lone Wolf
02-08-2007, 15:55
You'll get fined if they catch you.

who exactly fines you?

MarcnNJ
02-08-2007, 16:05
We saw a USFS ranger hiking southbound earlier in the day when we camped above treeline...I asked him about his job, and found out he was continuing southbound to Pinkhman Notch that day.....so i didnt fear being caught by anyone......Im sure he would have fined us if he saw where we were camped

Peaks
02-09-2007, 10:57
Camping above treeline is absolutely not recommended. In the popular areas there are ridge-runners to enforce that.

According to the USFS Backcountry Camping Rules, camping above treeline is prohibited unless there is 2 feet of snow cover. The reason is very fragile alpine plants. It's a tough place to grow! So, please stay on the trail, and don't trample the vegetation.

Stop at Hikers Welcome Hostel in Glencliff for details on bootleg campsites. There are ample places to camp along the AT, or just off the AT.

It's the USFS that enforces the regulations. That being said, there aren't too many rangers out there. They are stretched pretty thin.

And of course, there is always the concern about severe weather. Many times, it can be absoutely gorgous. But, it has also claimed the lives of over 130 people, including thru-hikers like Harley in 2002.

rafe
02-09-2007, 11:52
It's the USFS that enforces the regulations. That being said, there aren't too many rangers out there. They are stretched pretty thin.

Many many moons ago one of those rangers caught up with us. I forget exactly where we were camped -- it was my girlfriend and I. It was dark and we had already finished dinner. The guy was pretty friendly, but basically offered us this deal: I can write you up -- but it's a federal offense, or you can pack up and head for the hut -- which wasn't too far away. I can't remember which hut it was anymore, but I remember we opted for the hut.

MarcnNJ
02-09-2007, 12:55
I hear you regarding the fragile alpine vegetation...we werent trampling on an area that hasnt been used before.....it was at a vista, so people have already trampled down the vegetation....

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