View Full Version : What's a hammocker to do in the White Mountains?
audiophile
01-17-2009, 12:44
Planning my thru-hike and I just realized that the White Mountains are above the tree line. What do hammockers do when they can't hang their hammock? Bivy? Tent? Set it up on the ground? What?
Blissful
01-17-2009, 12:50
Many use the AMC huts for work-for-stay. That is an option above treeline. Other than that, you can hang at campsites or other places below tree line. Be forewarned you can get nasty weather there with very high winds and cold temps any time of year. We had sleet in August and 80 mph winds on Franconia ridge.
Slo-go'en
01-17-2009, 13:07
First of all, your not suppost to camp above tree line at all! Fragile alpine tundra and all that. Stay on the trail! However, with a hammock, you do have more options to camp near tree line than with a tent, as you needn't worry about the slop of the hill or the size and number of boulders under you. You just need to be far enough down from tree line to have reasonably large trees.
In reality, you should camp at the designated camping sites, but these can fill up quickly on a nice summer or fall weekend. With a hammock, you can still stay at these places and not worry about the shelter being full or all the tent platforms being taken.
audiophile
01-17-2009, 13:11
Many use the AMC huts for work-for-stay. That is an option above treeline. Other than that, you can hang at campsites or other places below tree line. Be forewarned you can get nasty weather there with very high winds and cold temps any time of year. We had sleet in August and 80 mph winds on Franconia ridge.
I saw that on the Basic Advice for Newbies article but it also said they fill up quickly so I was just trying to figure out what to do in the case that I wasn't able to get in.
First of all, your not suppost to camp above tree line at all! Fragile alpine tundra and all that. Stay on the trail! However, with a hammock, you do have more options to camp near tree line than with a tent, as you needn't worry about the slop of the hill or the size and number of boulders under you. You just need to be far enough down from tree line to have reasonably large trees.
In reality, you should camp at the designated camping sites, but these can fill up quickly on a nice summer or fall weekend. With a hammock, you can still stay at these places and not worry about the shelter being full or all the tent platforms being taken.
Oh, I was under the impression that the entire AT section of the White Mountain was above the tree line?
Linesman
01-17-2009, 13:17
Oh, I was under the impression that the entire AT section of the White Mountain was above the tree line?
Not at all. Only the very tops of mountains are and you rarely camp on the top of a mountain anywhere.
audiophile
01-17-2009, 13:19
Not at all. Only the very tops of mountains are and you rarely camp on the top of a mountain anywhere.
Ohhh, great! So then there's no need to worry about if I'll be able to set up my hammock?
And I'm assuming, too, that there are shelters along the way in that section also? (I only have guides to NJ and NY)
Slo-go'en
01-17-2009, 13:25
Oh, I was under the impression that the entire AT section of the White Mountain was above the tree line?
No, there are a couple of pretty long sections which are, but not all of it. The longest is from about Mizpa hut until you decend off of Mt Madison. Most hikers try to get a work for stay at Lake of the Clouds hut, as it's about half way. The only other options are one of the RMC camps (The Perch, Gray Knob and Crag Camp, about 5.5 miles north of lake of the Clouds and a little off the trail, but nice places to stay) and Madison hut, about 8 miles from Lake of the Clouds. There are some side trails which will take you below tree line, but you'll have to drop about 1000 feet and these are steep trails at this point.
I saw that on the Basic Advice for Newbies article but it also said they fill up quickly so I was just trying to figure out what to do in the case that I wasn't able to get in.
Oh, I was under the impression that the entire AT section of the White Mountain was above the tree line?
If you get to stay at a hut is the discretion of that particular hut master/mistress. The night before I did work for stay at Madison Springs Hut there were more than a dozen thru hikers. This year the hut mistress at Carter Notch was supposed to be a evil witch. I showed up when she was on her days off and it was all good. I even found out that the "naturalist" at Carter Notch worked a few days at the same Katrina relief camp that I did.
If you can talk to thru hikers going the opposite direction then you can find out which huts are good and the ones to try to avoid. Some will work you like a dog, some will just ask you to talk to the paying guest about your hike(I've never got off that easy). Some will leave a good dinner for you, others will leave you crap.
As far as hammocks go I prefer a hammock in New England. Good high quality tenting spots are not as prevalent and the rain puddles more easily up there.
For the sections above treeline you have the Presidentials and Franconia ridge. Presidentials will take all of one day if you go from Mizpah to Madison and then some of the next if as you go over Madison. Franconia ridge will take you half a few hours. There are other places where you are above treeline, but they are short.