Slack packing the Whites

[Chuppacabra]

Hello all,

Let me give the skinny, myself and two other NOBOs (OB and Danno) are in Rutland, VT and staying at the Yellow Deli. We've been discussing it a bit over the last few days and we've decided we would love to slack pack the Whites. We've really been hit by Maine fever and we want to be able to ENJOY the whites not stress over terrain or getting into a hut before dark. Are there any individuals that offer this sort of service? Or a WBer that would be willing to hang out with three cool dudes for a few days?? We are all working professionals and could reimburse for time and gas. Lastly, please let's not turn this into a debate on the purity of slack packing. We've chosen a hike that works for us and at the end of the day we will have done all of the AT. thanks so much for your feedback! Ill be in and out of service so forgive if there's a delayed response. Many thanks!

[kayak karl]

Sue and her dog Knucklehead from Stanton, Straton, Stranton ????? not near a guide book sorry.

[Feral Bill]

The Preidentials in a day would be tough, at best. Are you planning to get a ride down from Mt Washington and up the next day? Enjoy the rest of you hike.

[Jeff]

Call the folks at Hikers Welcome Hostel in Glencliff. They know the ins and outs of hiking the AT in the Whites.

[peakbagger]

There used to be loose collection of folks who supported slacking the whites but I haven't heard of anyone actively doing it these days. The hassle is that the trail is on ridgelines most of the way so on occasion you need to drop off the ridge one afternoon and go back up the next day.

Here is the logical breaks (which are all long days or 12 plus hours)

Glencliff to Kinsman Notch.
Kinsman's Notch to Franconia Notch (it will kick your butt!)
Franconia Notch to Gale river trail ( dropping off the ridge)
Gale River Trail to Rt 302 AM hike back up the ridge
RT 302 to Caps Ridge Trail (drop off the ridge to Jefferson Notch road -highest road in NH)
Caps Ridge Trail to Pinkham
Pinkham to Gorham

If you had to pay a shuttler plan on $200 a day, so this would discourage most folks. The Shuttle Connection in Lincoln NH would be able to support it, just hand over the credit card. Of course you also need a campground every night. Your attempt to locate a trail angel that doesn't hike is probably your best chance.

The biggest issue is that thru hikers are warned about but always think doesn't apply to them is that the trails are far rougher than anything you have done for a couple of months. Most folks drop their mileage in half or at least by a third. Starting at Glencliff, many folks end up at Beaver Brook Shelter when they had planned on ending up at Eliza Brook the first day and then take 2 days to get to Franconia, where they then have to hitch into town to get resupply as they are behind a day.

[Slo-go'en]

The best way to slack the Whites is the pay the big bucks for AMC hut stays. That will run you a bit less then a grand, but if you join the AMC first you can save a bit with members discounts. Otherwise you run into a logistical nightmare as Peakbagger alluded too.

[kidchill]

Argh...before I say anything, I'm just gonna throw this out there..I was SOBO and bought a new AWOL guide, that is SOBO, and for some reason it's really to figure out the trail going in the opposite direction..LOL I don't know why, but it's difficult for me to visualize going the other way, but here goes, for what it's worth. The problem with the Whites, is that it's fairly remote. Your biggest options for shuttles are gonna be notch-hopping. You still need to hit NH, so that pretty much starts in Hanover. You'll hike across a bridge, down the street and you'll be at Dartmouth. You'll probably want to hit up that town (I had hella fun while there!)...delis, Irish pubs, movie theater, and there's some outfitters if you need gear/repairs (some of them are trendy hiker clothing stores, so check em out first). Checking AWOL's guide, they list Apex Trasnsportation. After that, next stop would be Glencliff. There's the Happy hikers/welcome hikers hostel (whatever the name is). I'm not sure how much slack shuttling they do, but when I was there, Baltimore Jack and some other trail legend guys were there, so calling them would probably be a good idea. Also, they town shuttle you for resupply if you need it (I think it was $5 a head). Next spot would be Lincoln/Woodstock and they have the Shuttle Connection. I know they do long shuttles, so check them out! On the northern end you have the White Mountain hostel and I'm pretty sure they do slack shuttles (a lot of NOBO's were using them). There's also 2 other shuttle services listed in the book. And, that pretty much wraps up the Whites.

Just some FYI. HYOH and all of that, but I'm just gonna give you a heads up. NH and ME are the most difficult sections of trail. I loved hitting VT because the trail went from an obstacle course, to a foot path! Be realistic about the miles you're going to cover (especially if you're slacking!). When I was going SOBO a lot of NOBO's were complaining about the climbing in VT. VT is piddly-stix in comparison to what's to come. I'm not saying this like you can't handle it, just be aware that you've already got 1700miles on your legs and now you're back to climbing. I know my body was getting a little freaked out when I hit southern VA and started really climbing again. I went from consistent 30's to fighting for 24-27miles after passing Mt Rogers. You are in shape, but your body is beat up. I met a NOBO that quit in Lincoln 'cause his knees just weren't handling the pounding of the notches. Bump up your calories! Bring cash in the Whites for extra food at the huts and also for the campsites. With the heat, pay attention to water, there are some stretches that can get dry (unless you wanna hike pretty far off-trail for it). Above all, enjoy the views!!! The rules and extra inexperienced hikers in the Whites suck, but it's the best views on the trail. Also, one more thing. If you can, try to hit Kinsman's Notch going North and Moosilauke (spelling?) going south (especially if it's raining). Climbing down Kinsman in the rain was damn near suicidal...

[fredmugs]

You need to check out the AMC shuttle. You could slack large sections of the Whites but not all of them. I did Franconia to Crawford (27 miles) in a day. Crawford to Pinkham Notch isn't happening in a day but you could stay at Lake of the Clouds hut.

[peakbagger]

forget the amc shuttle, it runs at the wrong times of the day to be of much use. They basically need sunrise and sunset shuttles.