What's a good first hike in New Hampshire?

[rickb]

Next Day Nauman to legal stealth site near brook off Zeacliff trail (near Zealand Hut).

Alternatively, camp near a pond and have a shot at seeing a moose.

First option would be the at Ethan Pond shelter/tent site. Never saw a moose there, but did find a future spouse, and there will surely be plenty of white-throated sparrows.

If that is crowded (expect it to be) don’t despair. Continue south a ways to the junction of Shoal Pond Trail, and turn left. Camp in the woods near (but not too near - LNT and all) once you reach the pond.

I have had real good luck with moose there and since it is a ways off the AT, you will likely have it all to yourselves.

If you elect to skip Mt Washington to simplify logistics and start in the notch, that would make for an easy first day but with an excellent landing zone — especially if you got a later start. With the Franconia Ridge ahead, you will get a true White Mountain experience. Even on of the best NH waterfalls down a very short blue blaze first thing the next day.

[Gambit McCrae]

Smokies Trail:
IMG_6026.JPG





New Hampshire Trail:
IMG_1966.jpg

[Slo-go'en]

Picking up on Peakbagger (whose expertise I would defer to on all matters), a shuttle up Mount Washington to begin a Southbound backpacking trip strikes me as intriguing.

I took the van up to the summit with a friend, saw the ocean (it was a really clear morning) and hiked back north to the RMC Perch shelter site for the night. That worked out well, as I could (and did) walk home from there.

My "traverse" I hiked up to the Perch for the first night, then over to Neman tent site, then out to the notch and a shuttle home the next day, since the weather was turning. It would have been a lot easier had I taken the hiker shuttle van to the summit of Washington, but then I really like staying at the Perch.

A week later I did the Garfield ridge traverse by parking at Crawford, took the AMC shuttle to Franconia notch and hiked to the Garfield tent site. Long day. Shuttle didn't get to Franconia until nearly noon, I got the Garfield tent sites just as the sun was setting, and this was mid June. It would have made more sense just to make it a short first day and end at the Liberty springs tent site and then have most of the next day to enjoy the ridge walk, where you want to stop and take a picture every 10 feet. I had planned on staying at the Ethan pond tent site, but ended up doing the last 2.5 miles to Crawford so I could give a thru hiker a lift to Gorham as he needed new shoes desperately.

[Slo-go'en]

Speaking of Mount Washington, I was just up there Monday: This is just down from the summit a little ways. That last bump off in the distance is Madison.
IMG_20210308_133100228_HDR.jpg