200 miles in New England?

[R1ma]

If you could do 200-250 miles of the AT in New England (in the summer), and only 200-250, where would you go?

Take it as totally theoretical if you want, or here's the background of the question:
I've 2 weeks of vacation next summer, and want to hike a point to point trail. I know I can average 20+ per day - I've done 26/day on the PCT through the Sierra around Tahoe - but I've got the time restrictions. I wanted to do from Katahdin to US-20 or the Mass Pike, as half the logistics would be easy, but that's WAY too far for two weeks ;)

[hikerboy57]

Hanover to gorham. good luck on your 20 mile days.

[jeffmeh]

The most spectacular (and most rugged) on the AT in New England would be from Glencliff, NH north to Stratton, ME, about 210 miles. That would be very challenging to do in 14 days, given the terrain, but you could cut it short at Rangeley or Andover, ME, if needed.

You would get all of the Whites, Mahoosuc Notch, and some more of Southern Maine.

[RED-DOG]

Gorham, NH to Katahdan that's about 298 miles but i would add the 100 mile wilderness in to it, because i couldn't go all the way their without doing Katahdan. and good luck on doing 20+ miles on any 250 mile section in New England. RED-DOG

[jakedatc]

Moosilauke to Mahoosuc notch. or a bit further. no sense doing south of moosilauke unless you want a bit of a warm up.

being in reasonable shape and a good packweight 20/day is doable. resupply in gorham

[burger]

+1 on Hanover to Gorham. But I'd suggest not worrying too much about your ending point. Hanover is a good place to start because you get a warm up before heading over the big mountains. It's also super easy to get to by public transportation.

As for distance, you are not going to average 20 miles per day. You'll find that 26 mile days on the PCT are probably equal to 15-mile days in the Whites, maybe even less. The PCT is walking. In the Whites you are CLIMBING. I did the Whites and southern Maine on a 3-week section hike and was blown away by how hard it was despite a ton of training. If you are taking public transportation, between bus service, hitching, and the AMC shuttle, there are many places in the Whites where you can get off the trail if you don't make your goal.

[jakedatc]

I love how people "know" what this guys can and can't do for distance. you all sound like a bunch of pansies.

People told me I couldn't do Wildcats and Carters.. 18-19mi and i was done by 4pm going from Mitzpah to Osgood tentsite isn't bad 15mi with time left you could get to gorham.

I'd put Moosilauke to Gorham at 4.5-5.5 days Rt 25- Eliza brook, Eliza brook to Garfield, Garfield to Mitzpah, Mitzpah to Osgood or gorham, Gorham to Imp, Imp to Rattlebrook.

the Whites are not this death march people make it out to be. Especially on the AT.

[jakedatc]

Sorry.. Moose to Pinkham 4-5 days.. add 2 more to gorham, few more to get Mahoosuc notch bail out at Bethel?

[hikerboy57]

I love how people "know" what this guys can and can't do for distance. you all sound like a bunch of pansies.

People told me I couldn't do Wildcats and Carters.. 18-19mi and i was done by 4pm going from Mitzpah to Osgood tentsite isn't bad 15mi with time left you could get to gorham.

I'd put Moosilauke to Gorham at 4.5-5.5 days Rt 25- Eliza brook, Eliza brook to Garfield, Garfield to Mitzpah, Mitzpah to Osgood or gorham, Gorham to Imp, Imp to Rattlebrook.

the Whites are not this death march people make it out to be. Especially on the AT.
you can do 20s thru the whites, just difficult on a daily basis. jake you forget, many of us are mortals.

[snifur]

+1 jakedatc the Whites are not the death march people make it out to be. we have no idea what this guy is capable of. he can say that he can average 20/ day but that changes with trails and conditions and New England has a way of surprising people. I suggest he do all of New Hampshire and head south on the AT until his time runs out. Logistically it would be easier for him.

[jakedatc]

you can do 20s thru the whites, just difficult on a daily basis. jake you forget, many of us are mortals.

20mi is not that much hiking on a full summer day. 2mph is casual walking. when you have 12-14 hours of daylight.. do the math. if you can physically DO 20-25mi anywhere you can do it in the whites..

you know i'm just a 5'7 125lb 32yr old that tries hard. try harder.. surprise yourself.

[peakbagger]

My theory is that he has plenty of bail out points in the whites so the best option is plan to end the hike in Gorham and if he gets slowed up he can alwasy bail at Pinkham, Crawford Notch or Fraconia Notch. At all 4 locations he is fairly close to a AMC shuttle and then a bus to head home.

[hikerboy57]

20mi is not that much hiking on a full summer day. 2mph is casual walking. when you have 12-14 hours of daylight.. do the math. if you can physically DO 20-25mi anywhere you can do it in the whites..

you know i'm just a 5'7 125lb 32yr old that tries hard. try harder.. surprise yourself.
its definitely not a death march, the hardest parts are really in and out of the notches, still many are surprised when they hit the whites.and ,at 56, ive got nothing left to prove to anyone or myself.
never said he couldnt do it, just wished him luck.just have his eyes open.

[snifur]

jakedatc, lol, you would be surprised at what a few years and extra size can do for hiking. i am 6'2 and 215 and feel as though i am in great shape at 36yo. but boy there are days i try and there is nothing i can do to try harder to get more from myself. but yeah, i have done 20 plus thru the NH whites on many occasions. the body seems to always suprise me by the end of the day. lol

[jakedatc]

claiming someone needs to be more than a mere mortal to do what he wants is what then? 2mph over various terrain is nothing special. I expect someone claiming they can do it... should be able to.

[Kerosene]

Rather than talk about whether someone can rattle off a string of 20-mile days in the Whites or not, think about changing the conversation to miles per hour and available hiking hours. From Kinsman Notch to Bethel, everyone I've spoken to (sectioners, NOBO thrus, young, old) about hiking pace states that they average between 0.50 and 1.00 mph slower than they do south of New England. So, if you average 2.5 mph through Connecticut then plan on something closer to 1.50-1.75 mph in the Presidentials.

From there, factor in the hours that you'll be hiking and multiply out, recognizing that your body will likely take more of a beating than on other parts of the AT. When I went through in September 2006, I was averaging 1.5 mph most of the time and was quite satisfied with completing 12 miles in a day (of course, I lollygagged on many days because the weather was so perfect). By comparison, I easily logged 3 consecutive 22+ mile days from Atkins to Damascus the following June, walking 10-11 hours a day, and felt less abused the next morning.

Some people will certainly be faster, and many will be slower, but don't make the mistake of thinking that you can sustain the same 3 mph pace that you do on level pavement around your neighborhood.

Of course, the real speed test is how fast you can make it through Mahoosuc Notch without killing yourself!

[jakedatc]

jakedatc, lol, you would be surprised at what a few years and extra size can do for hiking. i am 6'2 and 215 and feel as though i am in great shape at 36yo. but boy there are days i try and there is nothing i can do to try harder to get more from myself. but yeah, i have done 20 plus thru the NH whites on many occasions. the body seems to always suprise me by the end of the day. lol

Hmm.. my 2nd day in VT was chasing a 62 year old AT thru hiker for 21mi day 3 was 19mi day 4 13mi half day 5th 21mi 6th 19mi... his feet were beat to hell and knees hurt.. but he was steady 2mph including snack/lunch stops.

2mph is not hard.

[jakedatc]

not comparing S vt to the whites but there are a few spots that are similar.. glastonbury mtn, claradon gorge, stratton mtn, killington. whites just have better views

[Kerosene]

Rather than talk about whether someone can rattle off a string of 20-mile days in the Whites or not, think about changing the conversation to miles per hour and available hiking hours. From Kinsman Notch to Bethel, everyone I've spoken to (sectioners, NOBO thrus, young, old) about hiking pace states that they average between 0.50 and 1.00 mph slower than they do south of New England. So, if you average 2.5 mph through Connecticut then plan on something closer to 1.50-1.75 mph in the Presidentials.

From there, factor in the hours that you'll be hiking and multiply out, recognizing that your body will likely take more of a beating than on other parts of the AT. When I went through in September 2006, I was averaging 1.5 mph most of the time and was quite satisfied with completing 12 miles in a day (of course, I lollygagged on many days because the weather was so perfect). By comparison, I easily logged 3 consecutive 22+ mile days from Atkins to Damascus the following June, walking 10-11 hours a day, and felt less abused the next morning.

Some people will certainly be faster, and many will be slower, but don't make the mistake of thinking that you can sustain the same 3 mph pace that you do on level pavement around your neighborhood.

Of course, the real speed test is how fast you can make it through Mahoosuc Notch (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=53467) without killing yourself!

[jakedatc]

not comparing S vt to the whites but there are a few spots that are similar.. glastonbury mtn, claradon gorge, stratton mtn, killington. whites just have better views

[Mags]

And how does this arguing help the OP wanting to know a good stretch of trail? :)

The NH/ME stretch sounds pretty good actually!

[jeffmeh]

I will stick with my original recommendation of Glencliff going north until you either run out of time or decide to stop. Starting about 40 miles south in Hanover has merit if you want a couple of "warm-up" days before you hit the more demanding terrain.

If you guys want to keep "discussing" the pace of a hypothetical hiker, feel free. :)

[jakedatc]

I dunno.. if it was up to some people he'd be doing 42miles of flat south of Moosilauke.

i think Moose to Mahoosuc would be an awesome trip.

[hikerboy57]

I dunno.. if it was up to some people he'd be doing 42miles of flat south of Moosilauke.

i think Moose to Mahoosuc would be an awesome trip.
i agree. and gorham still remains an option.

[Driver8]

not comparing S vt to the whites but there are a few spots that are similar.. glastonbury mtn, claradon gorge, stratton mtn, killington. whites just have better views

Stratton is totally cake compared to the Whites. I've not done the A.T. routings for longer stretches, just at elevation having reached it steeply from the valleys, so I can see where much of it would be not as severe as ascending Washington via Tuck's or doing the Franconia loop, but Stratton is just easy.

Personally, I was thrilled to have done the Falling Waters-FR-OBP loop at 1 mph including all breaks this September, but I'm sure I could do the A.T. route from F Notch toward Garfield at a significantly faster clip, more like 1.25 or 1.5. Five weeks after that Franconia loop, I ascended Bear Mtn, Connecticut via Undermountain from the south on the A.T. in 1:26, just under 2 mph, so that gives a rough comparison of the difficulty in the CT A.T. corridor vs. that in the Whites. Made it back down to my car in 59 minutes, running some of the way for the fun of it and stopping to talk with people on the way. 5.4 miles in 2:25, about 2.25 mph, all told, a little slower when the half hour I spent goofing off at the summit is accounted for.

[jakedatc]

I honestly don't remember much about stratton.. it was early on in a long day so it was all kind of a blur. there are plenty of easy peaks along the AT in the whites.

i notice that you picked the easiest of the bits that i posted. Going up the flat side of Bear is a gentle slope. CT is even flatter than S VT.

[burger]

Instead of people bragging about how fast they hiked the Whites, how about actual data? Check this out, based on actual thru-hikers' paces:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php?184-AT-Hiking-Rates-Section-by-Section-%28AT-Data-and-Schedules%29

So. thru-hikers, with over 1700 miles behind them, average 11.4 miles per day between Glencliff and Gorham. Sure, the OP may be substantially faster than that. But this puts things in a bit of perspective. It seems like some of the folks posting here are really fast. Those experience are not typical for this section.

[Driver8]

I honestly don't remember much about stratton.. it was early on in a long day so it was all kind of a blur. there are plenty of easy peaks along the AT in the whites.

i notice that you picked the easiest of the bits that i posted. Going up the flat side of Bear is a gentle slope. CT is even flatter than S VT.

Bear is comparable to Stratton. My point was to pick out what I fancy is average A.T. terrain south of N.H., with the same hiker (me), a short time apart, and the attainable paces. Bear from the south is way, way easier than Franconia Ridge, which is relatively hard, from what I gather, among the N.H. A.T. corridor, but a reasonable sample to compare the Whites with average A.T. stuff. I regret if that was unclear.

We're well aware that you cover a lot of miles in a day/week/month and that that means a lot to you. I have no interest in crossing swords with you as to who hikes what speed - I enjoy my hikes and am pleased to be in much better shape now than I was a couple years ago. Hope to be in even better shape next year and the year after. Happy for you that you're happy with your hiking, your pace, your experience out on trail. I have tried to dissuade you from boasting about your pace, but that never took with you, so I can't be worried with it further. If you find that your approach to these boards wins you friends and influences people, my man, more power to you. :)

[jakedatc]

AT thru hikers also tend to take the benefit of Work for Stay at huts. Many are also either dead ass tired or slowing down to take in the views.

If i hadn't done most of the proposed hike already i'd offer to go with him. since the beginning from hanover and end above gorham are the only pieces of NH AT i believe i haven't done yet.

[jakedatc]

Bear is comparable to Stratton. My point was to pick out what I fancy is average A.T. terrain south of N.H., with the same hiker (me), a short time apart, and the attainable paces. Bear from the south is way, way easier than Franconia Ridge, which is relatively hard, from what I gather, among the N.H. A.T. corridor, but a reasonable sample to compare the Whites with average A.T. stuff. I regret if that was unclear.

We're well aware that you cover a lot of miles in a day/week/month and that that means a lot to you. I have no interest in crossing swords with you as to who hikes what speed - I enjoy my hikes and am pleased to be in much better shape now than I was a couple years ago. Hope to be in even better shape next year and the year after. Happy for you that you're happy with your hiking, your pace, your experience out on trail. I have tried to dissuade you from boasting about your pace, but that never took with you, so I can't be worried with it further. If you find that your approach to these boards wins you friends and influences people, my man, more power to you. :)

we're not talking about YOU or CT . OP wants to do 20mpd on the AT in NH. he's done 20+ days on the PCT so i'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he can do it.

"from what you gather" perhaps come back when you've actually done sections that are being discussed?

[HermesUL]

Here's the hike I'd do in your situation--start a little ways north up the Long Trail in VT, in Smuggler's Notch. Hike over the highest of the Green Mountains, and then turn left when you get to the AT and head into NH. I think that the trip from Mansfield to the other end of the Presidentials would be about 250 miles...I haven't done the math.

It'd give you some nice variety and get you very well in shape for the Whites, if you aren't already. If you're in shape, you could pull off 26-30 mile days from Lincoln Gap to Mooselauke, and 20 mile days for the rest. My estimate (which is likely totally off) is that you'd summit Washington on about your 11th or 12th day, and then be able to spend a little time in northern NH or even southern Maine if you really pushed it.

[HermesUL]

Just to add on to this last post--I've hiked the entire section I mentioned, except for the terrain on the AT north of Jefferson. Unless the mileage estimates that I'm piecing together in my head are way off, this will be doable for the OP, who seems to be more fit than I am.

[evyck da fleet]

I'd start at Glencliff. You can also get info on where to stealth camp in the Whites there if you don't already have it and don't want to stay at the Huts. I'd go as far north from there as you can. At twenty miles per day you could probably stop at Andover and if money and a day off isn't an issue knock out Katahdin too.

I agree with other posters that most thru hikers plan to do work for stay at the huts so they carry less food. Since that usually requires stopping at 4pm instead of hiking until 8 or 9, a lot of them, me included wound up hiking 15 mile days instead of 20s.

[Cookerhiker]

OK - I'll stipulate that you can consistently hike 20 mile days in Northern New England.

Start at Pinkham Notch, hike north. It's 205 miles to Monson. If you've maintained your 20 mpd capability at that point (10 days), then you're fit enough to crank it up to 25 mpd and continue on through the 100 Mile Wilderness. Actually, you can start increasing your mileage after descending Avery Peak in the Bigalows when the trail gets a bit easier. So there's a good chance you can make it to Katahdin in your 2 week window.

[jakedatc]

you'd skip Franconia ridge and the presi's to do S maine? weird. that is the best part of the whites

[jakedatc]

And he did say NH... not maine and katadin..

[Cookerhiker]

I must have missed where he said NH - I thought all he specified was New England.

Maine is spectacular - my suggestion gives him the opportunity to hike most if not all of the entire state. It may differ from your recommendation but that doesn't make it "weird."

[jakedatc]

my mistake. i thought he said NH..

he just needs to expand his 10days to like 30 and do NH and ME and call it good :)

[Cookerhiker]

my mistake. i thought he said NH..

he just needs to expand his 10days to like 30 and do NH and ME and call it good :)

Actually, I think Red Dog's suggestion might be the best. Then he can do all of NH from Gorham south in a separate hike.


Gorham, NH to Katahdan that's about 298 miles but i would add the 100 mile wilderness in to it, because i couldn't go all the way their without doing Katahdan. and good luck on doing 20+ miles on any 250 mile section in New England. RED-DOG

[jakedatc]

True. Hell that could be a hike for me at some point. go back in from gorham to where i diverted off at Moriah this summer and do the rest north. then i'd just have to finish 2 tiny sections north and south of Moosilauke.

[Driver8]

"from what you gather" perhaps come back when you've actually done sections that are being discussed?

Your inability to show respect for others or humility is regrettable. Very few people here feel the need to belittle others or aggrandize themselves over distance hiked, Jake. Clearly this is vital to your self-esteem. I feel bad for you that that is the case.

[DavidNH]

where to go for a 250 mile hike is a different question on where to go for a two week vacation. It's not easy doing 20+ mile days in New England, and in some sections (ie the Mahoosics, the whites) it might be a major stretch.

If you are in super duper shape and have hiking experience.. you might consider doing the Long Trail. Start at Williamstown Mass at the Pine Cobble Trail, end at route 15, a "short" hitch away from Johnson, VT. I think it's a major stretch to try for the entire 270 mile Long Trail in two weeks. The best hikers take 18 days to 3 weeks. a normal time is a month.


another option.. head to MAINE. To a section that includes the 100 mile wilderness and of course Mt Katahdin. That's worth pretty close to two weeks.

still another option.. go from Hanover, NH (easily accessible to public transit + the trail goes through middle of town) to Gorham, NH. That covers essentially the entire NH stretch including the Kinsmans, the Franconias, the Presidentials, and the Carter Range. at Gorham, you can get a Concord Trailways bus (once per day) back south to Boston.

[DavidNH]

I just re read your original post. it seems your experience with the 20 mile days is on the PCT and around Lake Tahoe.. in other words.. WESTERN trails.

Allow me to introduce you to New England. We don't bother with switch backs. Often times it is up and at 'em. Our trails aren't graded for horses. In places, they aren't even graded for hikers. There's roots, and rocks and mud. 5 miles for a day might seem glacial to you.. but it's a solid day when you go through Mahoosic Notch. There are spots in the Whites where the terrain is borderline technical.

yet we do have some of the finest scenery in the east. I encourage you to do a scenic section that is well within your mileage capabilities. If you could do 200 miles in a week.. go for 150 instead and take the time to enjoy it.

If you have a choice of time of year you go.. I'd recommend fall. Our fall foliage is nationally famous! Avoid late May and all of June. Bug season, high water levels in streams (waist deep or more on some) and lots and lots of mud. There is a very good chance that you'll get rained on for part of your trip. If you go in June the chance of rain is high. In August or September it is much drier.

DavidNH

[Mags]

go from Hanover, NH (easily accessible to public transit + the trail goes through middle of town) to Gorham, NH. That covers essentially the entire NH stretch including the Kinsmans, the Franconias, the Presidentials, and the Carter Range. at Gorham, you can get a Concord Trailways bus (once per day) back south to Boston.

Logistically, an easy option with some good scenery. How many miles is that approx?

Also, another request to keep the bickering private. Ain't helping the OP. :)

[jeffmeh]

Just a little perspective on the relative pacing along the AT, from Map Man's data.... These are from NOBOs that finish, and note what happens from Glencliff to Stratton. I will accept that some of the pace reduction is the "staying at huts" effect, but the terrain definitely increases in level of difficulty.

18112

[jakedatc]

KEep it to the other thread you started. -PM http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

[tdoczi]

heres a suggestion i don think anyone else had made- (though i cant claim i read every post here)-

take the bus to gorham and start from pinkham notch, or if it makes a few of the people here feel better, US-2 outside of gorham. from there, its 190 miles SOUTH to an easy bus home from killington and only half of it will be on especially hard terrain. if you have time, keep going, you can go all the way north adams (almost 300 miles) with various easy stopping points every 20 miles or so from killington to there. if you really can do 20 in the whites and are willing to step it up once you get out them, doing the whole thing may not be totally impossible, especially if you start from pinkham instead of US-2 (subtract roughly 20 miles).

i think itd be cool to hit washington, killington and greylock in 1 hike and its much more doable than 250 miles all in NH and ME in 2 weeks.

[RED-DOG]

I got another one for you, start at VT. 9 which is the Bennington road crossing go north until US,302 Crawford Notch thats about 240 miles and it's an Awesome hike.

[Mags]

Jake, please give it a rest. The points were made..unless it is discussing a route, keep the the comments to the other thread. Thanks!


I just re read your original post. it seems your experience with the 20 mile days is on the PCT and around Lake Tahoe.. in other words.. WESTERN trails.


DavidNH

As a person who cut his teeth on NH trails, don't know I agree with this logic.

Thought the Whites are steeper, most people go slower through here as much due to using traditional gear and stopping earlier for the day more than anything.

Who ever said about minus 5 MPD reduction in speed is probably about right. 20-25 MPD is probably 15-20 MPD in the Whites.

Slower yes. In half or less? Not so much IMO for an experienced hiker with lighter gear. :)

[HermesUL]

where to go for a 250 mile hike is a different question on where to go for a two week vacation. It's not easy doing 20+ mile days in New England, and in some sections (ie the Mahoosics, the whites) it might be a major stretch.

If you are in super duper shape and have hiking experience.. you might consider doing the Long Trail. Start at Williamstown Mass at the Pine Cobble Trail, end at route 15, a "short" hitch away from Johnson, VT. I think it's a major stretch to try for the entire 270 mile Long Trail in two weeks. The best hikers take 18 days to 3 weeks. a normal time is a month.


another option.. head to MAINE. To a section that includes the 100 mile wilderness and of course Mt Katahdin. That's worth pretty close to two weeks.

still another option.. go from Hanover, NH (easily accessible to public transit + the trail goes through middle of town) to Gorham, NH. That covers essentially the entire NH stretch including the Kinsmans, the Franconias, the Presidentials, and the Carter Range. at Gorham, you can get a Concord Trailways bus (once per day) back south to Boston.

You are absolutely right to mention the Long Trail, and although it's just over the 250 mile mark, it's much easier than other sections that people have mentioned.

Up to hiking the Long Trail, the longest I had ever hiked in a single day backpacking was 15.4 miles. What I found once I got on the trail was that for most of the trail, the miles were easy to put away--where 15 had been a big question before, the southern half of the LT invited me up to 27 in a day. I broke my personal 15 mile
record on ten out of seventeen hiking days, consistently breaking 20 for the entire southern half (I went southbound).
It's doable in two weeks, if you don't take your time.

And the Long Trail is fabulous. It doesn't have the dramatic grandeur of the White Mtns, but more gentle beauty of the Green Mtns is something you won't want to miss. Reminds me a little bit of Maine. That's why I made the recommendation I did--you'll catch the best of both, and it'll leave you wanting to come back to see more. As you seem to have already figured out, it's not possible to hike for two weeks and even get a glimpse of all that's worth seeing in New England...if it was, I'd have moved out by now.

[peakbagger]

I have to say I dont agree on swapping the northern Long trail for the AT through NH. The northern ong trail may be just as gnarly in spots as the whites, but it just doesnt have the above treeline stretches.

[jakedatc]

I have to say I dont agree on swapping the northern Long trail for the AT through NH. The northern ong trail may be just as gnarly in spots as the whites, but it just doesnt have the above treeline stretches.

I think they were talking about doing the southern part of LT and mixing it with some of NH.. which I agree doesn't have the views of NH.

[HermesUL]

I'm actually talking about starting 80-ish miles north of the junction between the AT and the LT, hitting the best of the Greens, and then turning north on the AT through NH. Best of both worlds, but ambitious and I don't know how far North you'd get.

[virgil]

Start hiking North at the MA border, thru VT, and see how far into NH you get. At the rate/distance you said, you might get into the southern White Mtns. Vermont is great. The AT runs together with the Long Trail for the first 100 miles. Plan one pitstop at the Inn at Long Trail near Mt. Killington. There is very good availability of water on this entire section.

[Slo-go'en]

One fact everyone seems to have neglected is your pretty much locked into camping at shelters and designated tenting areas through out New England. The oppertunities for stealth camping are very limited. People "from away" just don't understand that. Therefore, how far you go in a day is determinded not by how far you can walk, but how far apart the camping spots are. Saying you can hike 20 MPD and can hike for 14 days does not mean you will cover 280 miles up here.

For many people, simply going shelter-to-shelter is a pretty good day. There are a few sections where going every-other-shelter is reasonable, but there are many sections where that would result in a very long and difficult day. So, it is very difficult to say how far one will go in a given amount of time. If the time frame is open ended one can plan on going from point A to point B, as it doesn't matter that much how long it takes. But if you have only X number of days, all you know for sure is where you start.

To the OP, who is likely long gone and making up his own mind, I'd suggest simply doing NH as others have suggested. Hanover to Gorham is logicstically easy, as you can get to both towns by bus from Boston. If you don't mess around and the weather is decent, it should be possible to do NH in 2 weeks, but you'll be a bit beat up at the end.

[jakedatc]

Going from shelter to shelter becomes easier the more miles you are capable of. He can do 250mi at 18mpd avg I already showed that Sunshine did Hanover to Gorham in 6.5 days that could be done without work for stay at the huts fairly easy.. you just need to plan it differently.

having him shorten the whole trip by 100 mi is a bit harsh.

I still like Moosilauke to Mahoosuc notch. you can probably find a way from Bethel to Gorham and have the same ease of getting home. it's only 20mi down rt 2. I also liked the version that went from Gorham to Katahdin

[SNAX]

To the OP, who is likely long gone and making up his own mind...

Ha, I certainly would be after Jake took a giant dump on this whole thread.

But, hopefully he stuck around long enough to heed some good advice. Hanover to Gorham or Glencliff to Grafton Notch would both be great hikes. With the latter probably being a little on the harder side.

Nothing wrong with the trail south of Moosilauke. There's some nice sections and a good views through there (Holt's Ledge, Smarts/Cube, Wachipauka Pond) albeit not as numerous as north of Moose.

[Chaco Taco]

When you get to Maine, the Grafton Loop Trail is a nice addition. If you want solitude, you will get it there!