Very Open Ended Question - Possible Options for a 2-week hike in either NH or ME?

[Train Wreck]

Hi,
I have the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks around late July-early August doing a section hike with the hubby and/or another friend who may come along as well. We're looking at either the Whites or some part of Maine. We'll have at least one car so may need local shuttle support.

My question is basically, what section would you recommend for this time frame, and time of year? We're thinking about the Whites, but don't want to rule out some part of Maine (not Katahdin, we've been sectioning the AT for years and will probably save it for last). I've done from Springer to MA, but I want to get the "hardest" or more challenging sections of the AT done before I get much older :) That's why we're skipping MA and VT for now.

So, never having stepped foot into NH or ME before, but having plenty of other AT miles and backpacking experience behind us, what do you recommend for a nice 2-week hike up there? I understand the whites are very crowded this time of year, because it's the ideal time to hike there. What is a good start point? Can you get through the whites in 2 weeks if your average hiking speed is around 12-15 miles per day in other places? How far ahead should we look at reserving the huts?

If Maine is your preference, what section would you recommend for a good introduction to the north woods? I admit I would like to see a moose very much :) but I'm not sure when the male moose go looking for romance, so would want to avoid that time of year whenever it is.

Sorry if these questions are too broad and vague, I'm hoping your responses will help me to narrow down my options so I can start asking more targeted questions. Thanks in advance!

[Tinker]

You could start at Rte. 302 in NH and head north over the Franconia Range, Garfield, Galehead, the Presidential Range, Wildcat Mountain, the Carters, Imp, and Mt. Moriah, ending up on Rte. 2 in Goreham. That might take 2 weeks, and it's probably the toughest section in NH. I wouldn't consider it terribly pleasurable, hiking wise - it's TOUGH!

The views, if you can get away from the crowds, are fantastic! Camping away from the crowds is possible but entails dropping off the ridgeline, adding mileage and difficulty.

[hikerboy57]

as far as time of year, late july through early septemeber, but you want to end up in monson on august 12th.:)
squee

[Tinker]

Let me guess. Hiker Feed in Monson on Aug. 12th?

[hikerboy57]

Let me guess. Hiker Feed in Monson on Aug. 12th?we're planning the first annual whiteblaze prom.

[rangeley]

You could go from 302 over Washington, through the Mahoosucs and end in Rangeley Maine. It's 112.5 miles from the peak of Mt Washington. You could choose any trail you wanted to go up Washington, and then hit the AT north. In my opinion this is some of the best hiking in New England. The black flies should be gone by then, and the moose don't get freaky until October, so that won't be a problem for you guys

[juma]

You could go from 302 over Washington, through the Mahoosucs and end in Rangeley Maine. It's 112.5 miles from the peak of Mt Washington. You could choose any trail you wanted to go up Washington, and then hit the AT north. In my opinion this is some of the best hiking in New England. The black flies should be gone by then, and the moose don't get freaky until October, so that won't be a problem for you guys


yesssssss!

[Tinker]

we're planning the first annual whiteblaze prom.

I just wouldn't know what to do for a dress................:D

[hikerboy57]

You could go from 302 over Washington, through the Mahoosucs and end in Rangeley Maine. It's 112.5 miles from the peak of Mt Washington. You could choose any trail you wanted to go up Washington, and then hit the AT north. In my opinion this is some of the best hiking in New England. The black flies should be gone by then, and the moose don't get freaky until October, so that won't be a problem for you guys

its 112 miles of some of the roughest hiking on the entire AT.but spectacular.

[Rasty]

we're planning the first annual whiteblaze prom.

I still aint dancing! I'm way to uptight to do that.

[hikerboy57]

I just wouldn't know what to do for a dress................:D

you can refer to the cafe for choice of cummerbunds(tyvek, courtesy of water rat)

[hikerboy57]

I still aint dancing! I'm way to uptight to do that.

i havent danced since i quit drinking. no no dancing

[Train Wreck]

I still aint dancing! I'm way to uptight to do that.

you say that now, but after a couple glasses of Alpha Dumbass I bet you sing a different tune!

I think I just hijacked my own thread!

[Rasty]

you say that now, but after a couple glasses of Alpha Dumbass I bet you sing a different tune!

I think I just hijacked my own thread!

Nope Hikerboy did it! You were an easy target:)

[hikerboy57]

Nope Hikerboy did it! You were an easy target:)

replies to anyone asking for suggestions for the whites or maine will conclude the same way:"as long as you hit monson on the 12th"

[hikerboy57]

youll want to reserve hut space assoon as you know your itinerary as they fill up early. the amc site www.outdoors.org (http://www.outdoors.org) has all the info on the huts, pricing and availability as well as info on shuttles.

[Rasty]

I still aint dancing! I'm way to uptight to do that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE-5Ye15PVY

[Cookerhiker]

How about starting north from Hanover? It's 97 miles to Crawford Notch (Rt. 302) and 123 miles to Pinkham. A Hanover start means you have 2-3 relatively easy days to start - help break in the body! The real hard part starts with the descent off Moosilauke (hope for a dry day) followed by the ascent up Kinsman at which point your daily mileage will drop but I think 2 weeks is still sufficient to reach Crawford and probably Pinkham as well.

Timewise, a late July start gets you out of the black fly season and even the mosquitoes should be gone by mid-August.

[Slo-go'en]

Forget the Whites, I would suggest the middle section of Maine. There are pleanty of nice views and short above tree line sections. It's a lot less busy then the Whites, mostly just a few of the early thru-hikers. You won't have to compete for campsites nor pay to use them. You'll much more likely to see a moose (who rut in the fall Sept/Oct) and camp next or near some nice ponds. It's not an easy hike, but definately an interesting one.

[Train Wreck]

Forget the Whites, I would suggest the middle section of Maine. There are pleanty of nice views and short above tree line sections. It's a lot less busy then the Whites, mostly just a few of the early thru-hikers. You won't have to compete for campsites nor pay to use them. You'll much more likely to see a moose (who rut in the fall Sept/Oct) and camp next or near some nice ponds. It's not an easy hike, but definately an interesting one.

Would you be more specific about what you mean by the "middle section" (put-in and take-out spots)?

[fredmugs]

Would you be more specific about what you mean by the "middle section" (put-in and take-out spots)?

Not sure where he's talking about but I want to put in a good word for Sue at the Maine Roadhouse. She is great to work with as far as shuttling is concerned and Stratton can work well as a beginning, ending, or re-supply point.

[Cookerhiker]

I almost suggested starting at Monson and hiking south - probably similar to Slo's idea. The summits of Moxie Bald and Pleasant Pond Mountain are above treeline and overall, the 63 miles of Trail between Monson and Safford Notch isn't as difficult as further south in Maine. You'll enjoy passing by several lakes and ponds. By the time you've reached Safford Notch, you're ready for the Bigalows starting with Avery Peak. After hiking the Bigalows, Crockers, and Saddlebacks, you reach Rangeley in another 43 miles.

[fredmugs]

I almost suggested starting at Monson and hiking south - probably similar to Slo's idea. The summits of Moxie Bald and Pleasant Pond Mountain are above treeline and overall, the 63 miles of Trail between Monson and Safford Notch isn't as difficult as further south in Maine. You'll enjoy passing by several lakes and ponds. By the time you've reached Safford Notch, you're ready for the Bigalows starting with Avery Peak. After hiking the Bigalows, Crockers, and Saddlebacks, you reach Rangeley in another 43 miles.

Did you miss the part where the OP wanted to do the "hardest" section?

[Cookerhiker]

Did you miss the part where the OP wanted to do the "hardest" section?

Perhaps - I wasn't sure whether her premise was that all of NH and Maine were "the hardest section" or whether she was focusing solely on the Whites & SW Maine. Also trying to guess what constituted "middle" section of Maine.

[Train Wreck]

You could start at Rte. 302 in NH and head north over the Franconia Range, Garfield, Galehead, the Presidential Range, Wildcat Mountain, the Carters, Imp, and Mt. Moriah, ending up on Rte. 2 in Goreham. That might take 2 weeks, and it's probably the toughest section in NH. I wouldn't consider it terribly pleasurable, hiking wise - it's TOUGH!

The views, if you can get away from the crowds, are fantastic! Camping away from the crowds is possible but entails dropping off the ridgeline, adding mileage and difficulty.

Hey, Tinker, can you give me an example of a typical stretch of trail in this section, in terms I can relate to (anything south of the MA line). For example, "like the climb out of Lehigh Gap but 4x longer", "north side of Bear Mt, CT", etc. Stuff like that.
(Not sure we agree on the difficulty of the PA rocks north of Port Clinton :-? (another thread) but that is a reference point I can readily understand)

[Train Wreck]

Perhaps - I wasn't sure whether her premise was that all of NH and Maine were "the hardest section" or whether she was focusing solely on the Whites & SW Maine. Also trying to guess what constituted "middle" section of Maine.

If I believe everything I read on this site, every inch of NH and ME is hard one way or the other :)

But yes, I'm looking to get some of the absolute toughest stretches out of the way over the next few years. I have around 600 miles left to complete of the AT, all of it north of MA. Time to get 'er done :D

To clarify - I'm looking for recommendations on an appropriate, but challenging section that I can get done in two weeks time, knowing I'm trying to knock out some of the most difficult portions first.

Thanks for all the recommendations so far!

[Cookerhiker]

You could start at Rte. 302 in NH and head north over the Franconia Range, Garfield, Galehead, the Presidential Range, Wildcat Mountain, the Carters, Imp, and Mt. Moriah, ending up on Rte. 2 in Goreham. That might take 2 weeks, and it's probably the toughest section in NH. I wouldn't consider it terribly pleasurable, hiking wise - it's TOUGH!

The views, if you can get away from the crowds, are fantastic! Camping away from the crowds is possible but entails dropping off the ridgeline, adding mileage and difficulty.


Hey, Tinker, can you give me an example of a typical stretch of trail in this section, in terms I can relate to (anything south of the MA line). For example, "like the climb out of Lehigh Gap but 4x longer", "north side of Bear Mt, CT", etc. Stuff like that.
(Not sure we agree on the difficulty of the PA rocks north of Port Clinton :-? (another thread) but that is a reference point I can readily understand)


If I believe everything I read on this site, every inch of NH and ME is hard one way or the other :)

But yes, I'm looking to get some of the absolute toughest stretches out of the way over the next few years. I have around 600 miles left to complete of the AT, all of it north of MA. Time to get 'er done :D

To clarify - I'm looking for recommendations on an appropriate, but challenging section that I can get done in two weeks time, knowing I'm trying to knock out some of the most difficult portions first.

Thanks for all the recommendations so far!

OK, knowing you want the most difficult section of trail for, let's say, 12 days of hiking (not sure about whether your 2 weeks includes travel time), I figured 9 mpd times 12 days is 108 miles. By starting north at Rt. 3 which is Franconia Notch, your distance to Grafton Notch/Rt. 26 in Maine is 106 miles. If you prove stronger than 9 mpd, then you can make it to Andover onn East B Hill Rd. or South Arm Rt. IMO, this would constitute the most difficult continuous stretch of 100-120 miles of the entire AT.

Tinker's recommendation is very similar but he apparently confused Rt. 302 with Rt. 3 unless he's suggesting you flipflop a portion. Rt. 3 is south of Rt. 302 - the sequence going NOBO is Rts. 3, 302, 16, 2, 26.

Starting at Rt. 3, you ascent 3,500' to the ridgeline over rocky terrain. It's not like the PA rocks because you're ascending steeply rather than walking a level ridge. The ascent takes more out of you than a 3,000' ascent in the South because of the big steps you often have to take up & over each rock. The Franonia ridgeline is up & down with mostly rocky terrain. Other steep climbs await you including South Twin after Galehead Hut until your descent to Zealand Hut where the only easy stretch of the entire hike occurs along an old rail bed.

From Crawford Notch at Rt. 302, you have a very steep ascent up the Webster Cliff trail to Mizapah Hut and the ridge above it where you then continue on to & through the Presidentials culminating in Mt. Washington. After Madison and the long descent to Pinkham Notch, the next series of rough ascents is the Wildcats and Carters until you reach Rt. 2, the last road crossing in NH.

The Rt. 2 to Rt. 26 portion features steep & rocky footing and the famous Mahoosuc Notch, followed by long ascent up Mahoosuc Arm and Old Speck. The last descent to Rt. 26 isn't too bad.

This is but a summary and a generalized one at that but hopefully you have a idea.

[Slo-go'en]

For the middle section of Maine, I was thinking between Andover and Monson. However, starting at Monson would be a good idea. That would give you a couple of "easy" days before it gets a bit more difficult. With any luck, you should be able to get to Gorham, NH in 2 weeks with out pushing hard. Although if travel time from home and back is part of the 2 weeks, that could be a factor on how far you get. If that's the case, you really only have 10 hiking days.

The climb out of Lehigh gap is about the closest you can come to the kind of climbs you do in NH and Maine, but the climbs here are much longer and there are a lot more of them, sometimes several in a day. 1500 foot climbs in 1/2 mile are common. As a section hiker, plan on about 1 mph most of the time. There will be occasions when you can kick it up to 2+ mph, but probably not for long.

[Train Wreck]

Thanks, guys.
The two weeks does not include travel time. I'm figuring on 13-14 days of hiking with maybe a zero (or nero) day somewhere in between.

[Wise Old Owl]

I just wouldn't know what to do for a dress................:D

Have you considered a Hammock Sock?


what was the earlier post.... whats a Freeky Moose in October?

[Train Wreck]

Have you considered a Hammock Sock?


what was the earlier post.... whats a Freeky Moose in October?

1200 pounds of raging testosterone you don't want to get in an argument with :D

[Train Wreck]

Looking at the rates for the AMC huts! :eek:
Yikes!
$120 a night per person??
There better be flowers in the bunkhouse and a mint on my pillow :D

[hikerboy57]

Looking at the rates for the AMC huts! :eek:
Yikes!
$120 a night per person??
There better be flowers in the bunkhouse and a mint on my pillow :Dflowers,no 80 pairs of smelly hiking boots yes.bring earplugs.yeah theyre expensive. the presis are really the one place where theyre the easiest (although expensive)option. lakes of the clouds and madison . the other huts have more viable alternatives and are easier to avoid. the presidentials can be traversed without using any huts. using madison and lakes just makes things a bit easier.

[Cookerhiker]

Looking at the rates for the AMC huts! :eek:
Yikes!
$120 a night per person??
There better be flowers in the bunkhouse and a mint on my pillow :D

For the Presidentials, you can avoid the huts by spending one night tenting in the tenting area at Mizpah Hut and hiking 10.3 miles the next day to the side trail of .9 to The Perch shelter just below treeline.

[jeffmeh]

For the Presidentials, you can avoid the huts by spending one night tenting in the tenting area at Mizpah Hut and hiking 10.3 miles the next day to the side trail of .9 to The Perch shelter just below treeline.

The tenting area is Nauman Campsite. You could add some mileage to that if you wanted to summit any of the peaks that the AT skirts.

[Prime Time]

A doable alternative to the huts when traversing the Presidential's is to stay the first night at Nauman Tentsite then the next night at Valley Way tentsite, which is a .6 mile drop down from Madison Hut. It's a big drop, something like 900 feet, so you gotta really not want to stay in the hut which you walk right by on your way to Valley Way. Also, this will be a pretty tough day and should only be attempted with an early start and generally good weather, and like the sign says, only if you are in "top physical condition". All in all it's 12.4 miles that will feel more like 20, but it's very doable.

[Prime Time]

Also, if you are looking to add a couple of days to the Rte 3 to Rte 26 section mentioned above, you can start at Rte 25 in Glencliff, NH. That way you walk every inch of the Whites, including Mt. Moosilauke and the infamous Beaver Brook Trail descent.

[Bear-bait]

At that time of year I would stay as far north as you can. VT, NH and ME would all be good choices. If you avg. 10-12 mi/day elsewhere, I'd plan on 8-10 in the whites in lower Maine. In VT, you'd be fine at 10-12.

Any route that you would choose in those states would be great at that time. There are plenty of shuttle/public transportation options to spot you.

[Tinker]

OK, knowing you want the most difficult section of trail for, let's say, 12 days of hiking (not sure about whether your 2 weeks includes travel time), I figured 9 mpd times 12 days is 108 miles. By starting north at Rt. 3 which is Franconia Notch, your distance to Grafton Notch/Rt. 26 in Maine is 106 miles. If you prove stronger than 9 mpd, then you can make it to Andover onn East B Hill Rd. or South Arm Rt. IMO, this would constitute the most difficult continuous stretch of 100-120 miles of the entire AT.

Tinker's recommendation is very similar but he apparently confused Rt. 302 with Rt. 3 unless he's suggesting you flipflop a portion. Rt. 3 is south of Rt. 302 - the sequence going NOBO is Rts. 3, 302, 16, 2, 26.

Starting at Rt. 3, you ascent 3,500' to the ridgeline over rocky terrain. It's not like the PA rocks because you're ascending steeply rather than walking a level ridge. The ascent takes more out of you than a 3,000' ascent in the South because of the big steps you often have to take up & over each rock. The Franonia ridgeline is up & down with mostly rocky terrain. Other steep climbs await you including South Twin after Galehead Hut until your descent to Zealand Hut where the only easy stretch of the entire hike occurs along an old rail bed.

From Crawford Notch at Rt. 302, you have a very steep ascent up the Webster Cliff trail to Mizapah Hut and the ridge above it where you then continue on to & through the Presidentials culminating in Mt. Washington. After Madison and the long descent to Pinkham Notch, the next series of rough ascents is the Wildcats and Carters until you reach Rt. 2, the last road crossing in NH.

The Rt. 2 to Rt. 26 portion features steep & rocky footing and the famous Mahoosuc Notch, followed by long ascent up Mahoosuc Arm and Old Speck. The last descent to Rt. 26 isn't too bad.

This is but a summary and a generalized one at that but hopefully you have a idea.


Right. I had 302 confused with 3, which is an extension of Interstate 93 which runs through Boston.

There hasn't been anything as tough as most of this section that I've encountered south of Ma. Even the Ga. mountains don't have the steep, rocky (and often slippery when wet) ascents and descents, and, of course, nothing can compare with the rocky terrain once you get up on top of the mountains.

The mountains of NH and southern Me. have no rivals for difficulty in Ga. or from Pa. to Ma. on the AT. Maybe some of the southern balds are as tough as a few of the climbs in the Whites - I can't say - I haven't been there yet.

Memorable for difficulty are:

The climb up to Mt. Liberty from Rte. 3,

The climb away from Mizpah Hut to the Presidential Ridge,

The circumnavigation of Mt. Jefferson,

The ascent of Mt. Madison,

The descent from Mt. Madison (basically a near vertical ditch full of wet, slippery boulders),

The ascent of Wildcat across from Pinkham Notch Camp (AMC). "Vicious" was the word used by Ed Garvey in his book about his 1970 hike - I agree.

The descent from Wildcat over boulders and slabs of granite,

I don't remember what the climb up the Carters was like, but the climb up S. Twin was pretty tough.

Southern Maine was tough all-round - up and down in rapid succession with slippery rock slabs.

The climb out of Mahoosuc Notch was relentless and frustrating - Mahoosuc Arm.

After this section, most everything else is at least "doable", and by comparison, fairly easy (except for Hall and Moody Mts. which spanked me bad(ly) :D).

Honestly, Maine is just so beautiful and green that tripping over roots and slipping on rock slabs is worth it (just don't get hurt).

Have a great hike!