Few Night Hikes in New England

[jollyrunner]

I am looking for a couple of hikes either in Massachusetts, Vermont, or New Hampshire that are only a few days and nights. Any suggestions?

[Smooth & Wasabi]

Are you talking about right now?

If so are you o.k. with snow and ice? If yes then anywhere on the AT/LT is great.
If not I'd say lower elevations in Mass.

Are you talking only AT?

If not I love the Camel's Hump area (include Bamforth ridge)/Mansfield area in VT or anywhere in the Whites.

Do you have someone to shuttle you or do you need loops?

With a shuttle it opens up At/LT sections.

Loops limit you to places with bigger trail networks; On the LT the Mansfield area might work(lower mileage) and VTs smaller less known presidential range has potential for a mellow three day loop but without my guide I can't remember the side trails names. The Whites have lots of loop possibilities. Great loops can be had combining the NH A/T with trails in the Pemigawasset wilderness, the Bonds are amazing.

Do you have maps/guides?

[Tinker]

Go out to Rte. 41 and hike over Lion's Head and Bear Mountain, camp at Sages Ravine, hike over Mts. Race and Everett, camp at Hemlock shelter (I think that's the name), and hike out the third day down Jug End. You'll end up back on 41. Hitch back to your car. Nice moderate hike with good views along the ledges.

I did it in the winter of '09-'10 with some thru hopefuls as a shakedown. There was about a foot of snow on the ridges. Towards the end of the day we had an ice storm, making the ledges dangerous in places. We had a long day and hiked all the way to the Hemlock shelter. The next day it rained buckets of almost frozen water. The trail was calf deep in places with melted snow and rain, and Jug end was basically a cliff of rotten ice making a slow, careful descent necessary.

The fields and swampy areas north of Jug End are what give the state the AT hiker's nickname "Mosquitochusetts" in the late spring into the summer.