Do you guys know anyone who wants to make a paid run to Grafton and shuttle me back to Gorham? I'll call the hostel tonight or trailangels, but if you're in Gorham (or close), that seems like a better deal all the way round. It looks like coming from Andover to Grafton then to to Gorham is further out of the way than going from East B Hill Road to Gorham.
We intend to camp in the shelters for several reasons, and now the most important is the privy! I didn't know they had them. That will be key. I don't personally have any desire to overnight 'in the open'.Officially there is no camping on this section except at designated shelters and tentsites. The official sites are Trident col tentsite, Gentian Pond Shelter and tentsites, Carlo Col Shelter (a short way down Carlo Col trail. Full Goose Shelter, an unnamed tent site encountered just after Mahoosuc Notch which is mentioned as a site in most trail guides, Speck Pond Shelter, and Baldpate Shelter and finally Frye Notch lean to. Note shelters and leantos are interchangeable words for the same thing. There is a water source that needs to be treated and a privy. Once you head up Mt Success past Gentian Pond the odds of finding a good place to camp other than shelters is real tough as you are on on the ridgeline surrounded by dense Spruce fir woods. Some folks camp up on the open rock ledges but if you insist stay on the rock rather than the surrounding alpine vegetation that takes decade to recover form a footprint. You will need to haul water up and if a thunderstorm comes in overnight it (happens frequently in the summer you will wish you hadnt.)
Good to know, thanks.Note the Mahoosuc trail that isnt part of the AT is blazed in blue.