Tully
02-29-2012, 18:03
Kia Ora AT friends,
I'm an American 2009 thru-hiker who has been living in New Zealand for the past 13 months teaching outdoor education. Parents of one of my students has requested some information in regards to a 10-day hike in Vermont/New Hampshire this coming August. I no longer have the AT Thru-Hikers Companion (2009 Version), which I was hoping to provide to them. What might be most helpful is if I copy and paste the email below and hopefully others can offer their advice and help.
In advance, thank you for your help. The Appalachian Trail is still, by far, the most rewarding experience of my life.
Kind regards,
Tully
------
Hi Steven,
Happy New Year to you. We are Brookes parents and she said you had done the App Trail and would be good to chat with.
We are considering doing a part of the App Trail in August. We have heard that there are huts/lodges across Vermount/New Hampshire so we are looking at doing that section.
We are aiming for a 10 day trek and staying in catered huts if possible. No major if a few nights of accommodation not possible.
We did the Walkers Haute Route in Switzerland this year so used to long distances etc
Any advice would be most welcome.
Kind Regards
Clayton
Dear Clayton,
Happy New Year to you & family as well. Know that it was a pleasure to have Brooke in the Duke of Edinburgh program in the Waitaks many months back.
Lovely to hear that you will plan to hike some of the Appalachian Trail VT/NH section in August. I found that the last three states were the most enjoyable (Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine), while Maine provided the greatest opportunity for wilderness. If you can squeeze in Maine, even passing through in a car, it might be worth it; you could literally spend weeks/months there.
I have sent out a request to my friends to acquire the ALDHA Thru-Hikers Companion section for Vermont/New Hampshire. This will help you determine distances, water spots, campsites, amenities/hotels at trailheads, etc. Once I obtain this ‘Companion’, I will have a review and then send it to you with recommendations.
With the sole exception of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the Appalachian Trail utilizes ‘shelters’ for the duration of the trail. These shelters are, essentially, a three-sided enclosed ‘barn’ that sits out in the middle of the woods. Some are run down, sometimes they have mice, sometimes you get visitors of bears, moose, raccoons, skunks, etc. If you hike through Vermont and plan on staying in these shelters, you would need to have a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cooking supplies, etc, as if you are fully out in the bush. These shelters have no running water (as per a rainwater jug like a backcountry hut in NZ), but purposefully are in close proximity to streams.
In contrast, the White Mountains in New Hampshire have fully-catered huts, working via the esteemed Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). These huts are similar to the huts you’ll find here in New Zealand; they will also provide excellent meals and, depending on size of the hut, have a few (to many) people working in them. Imagine Pinnacles Hut in the Coromandel with a deliciously cooked meal and heaps of interesting people. You’ll most likely have thru-hikers passing through, doing a work-for-stay; you can identify them by smell (very stinky) or by sight (massive beards for males). I think that fees vary from hut to hut and bookings are essential for each one. Here is a list of these huts:
http://hikethewhites.com/huts.html. I only stayed at Zealand Hut (aptly named, no?, great waterfall there) and Lakes of the Clouds Hut (just below Mt. Washington). Elsewhere in the Whites, we stealth-camped, which is against AMC policy, but common amongst thru-hikers, while still maintaining ‘Leave No Trace’ principles.
The entire section of the Whites is spectacular, though, I distinctly remember that Franconia Ridge was my favorite section. If you would like to traverse the entire White Mountains, one normally hikes from Glencliff, NH to Gorham, NH. It would encompass different mountain climbs, notches, and ridges, with the pinnacle of hitting Mt. Washington, which is known as having had (past tense) the fastest land wind ever recorded at 231 mph. While we were up top, we became caught in a storm with wind gusts of 80+ mph.
As I do not currently have the ALDHA Companion (can be found/purchased here: http://www.aldha.org/comp_pdf.htm), I cannot provide you with specific details. This Companion should have town information at specific road crossings (restaurants, resupply, hotels, etc.). Presumably, there will be shuttles throughout the White Mountains from town to trailheads and vice-versa, and you might be able to organize shuttles in Vermont. Again, this companion is forthcoming once one of my colleagues sends it to me. Meanwhile, for a personal account of the White Mountains, feel free to visit my Trail Journals: http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=290333. I have it set for somewhere in the Whites.
This is all for now, Clayton. More info to come and please let me know if you have any specific questions.
Kind regards,
Tully
I'm an American 2009 thru-hiker who has been living in New Zealand for the past 13 months teaching outdoor education. Parents of one of my students has requested some information in regards to a 10-day hike in Vermont/New Hampshire this coming August. I no longer have the AT Thru-Hikers Companion (2009 Version), which I was hoping to provide to them. What might be most helpful is if I copy and paste the email below and hopefully others can offer their advice and help.
In advance, thank you for your help. The Appalachian Trail is still, by far, the most rewarding experience of my life.
Kind regards,
Tully
------
Hi Steven,
Happy New Year to you. We are Brookes parents and she said you had done the App Trail and would be good to chat with.
We are considering doing a part of the App Trail in August. We have heard that there are huts/lodges across Vermount/New Hampshire so we are looking at doing that section.
We are aiming for a 10 day trek and staying in catered huts if possible. No major if a few nights of accommodation not possible.
We did the Walkers Haute Route in Switzerland this year so used to long distances etc
Any advice would be most welcome.
Kind Regards
Clayton
Dear Clayton,
Happy New Year to you & family as well. Know that it was a pleasure to have Brooke in the Duke of Edinburgh program in the Waitaks many months back.
Lovely to hear that you will plan to hike some of the Appalachian Trail VT/NH section in August. I found that the last three states were the most enjoyable (Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine), while Maine provided the greatest opportunity for wilderness. If you can squeeze in Maine, even passing through in a car, it might be worth it; you could literally spend weeks/months there.
I have sent out a request to my friends to acquire the ALDHA Thru-Hikers Companion section for Vermont/New Hampshire. This will help you determine distances, water spots, campsites, amenities/hotels at trailheads, etc. Once I obtain this ‘Companion’, I will have a review and then send it to you with recommendations.
With the sole exception of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the Appalachian Trail utilizes ‘shelters’ for the duration of the trail. These shelters are, essentially, a three-sided enclosed ‘barn’ that sits out in the middle of the woods. Some are run down, sometimes they have mice, sometimes you get visitors of bears, moose, raccoons, skunks, etc. If you hike through Vermont and plan on staying in these shelters, you would need to have a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cooking supplies, etc, as if you are fully out in the bush. These shelters have no running water (as per a rainwater jug like a backcountry hut in NZ), but purposefully are in close proximity to streams.
In contrast, the White Mountains in New Hampshire have fully-catered huts, working via the esteemed Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). These huts are similar to the huts you’ll find here in New Zealand; they will also provide excellent meals and, depending on size of the hut, have a few (to many) people working in them. Imagine Pinnacles Hut in the Coromandel with a deliciously cooked meal and heaps of interesting people. You’ll most likely have thru-hikers passing through, doing a work-for-stay; you can identify them by smell (very stinky) or by sight (massive beards for males). I think that fees vary from hut to hut and bookings are essential for each one. Here is a list of these huts:
http://hikethewhites.com/huts.html. I only stayed at Zealand Hut (aptly named, no?, great waterfall there) and Lakes of the Clouds Hut (just below Mt. Washington). Elsewhere in the Whites, we stealth-camped, which is against AMC policy, but common amongst thru-hikers, while still maintaining ‘Leave No Trace’ principles.
The entire section of the Whites is spectacular, though, I distinctly remember that Franconia Ridge was my favorite section. If you would like to traverse the entire White Mountains, one normally hikes from Glencliff, NH to Gorham, NH. It would encompass different mountain climbs, notches, and ridges, with the pinnacle of hitting Mt. Washington, which is known as having had (past tense) the fastest land wind ever recorded at 231 mph. While we were up top, we became caught in a storm with wind gusts of 80+ mph.
As I do not currently have the ALDHA Companion (can be found/purchased here: http://www.aldha.org/comp_pdf.htm), I cannot provide you with specific details. This Companion should have town information at specific road crossings (restaurants, resupply, hotels, etc.). Presumably, there will be shuttles throughout the White Mountains from town to trailheads and vice-versa, and you might be able to organize shuttles in Vermont. Again, this companion is forthcoming once one of my colleagues sends it to me. Meanwhile, for a personal account of the White Mountains, feel free to visit my Trail Journals: http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=290333. I have it set for somewhere in the Whites.
This is all for now, Clayton. More info to come and please let me know if you have any specific questions.
Kind regards,
Tully