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  1. #1
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    Default New Hampshire miles/stops

    Would anyone who has hiked the AT through all of New Hampshire have the time to share where you stopped each night, how many miles you hiked each day, and if you were glad you stopped where you did?
    I've looked through some trail journals but they all seem incomplete. I'm not sure where to find several full day to day accounts of the entire state.
    I'm planning and don't want to over or under estimate mileage.
    It would be fun to know some nice spots to spend the night for this section too.
    Thanks!

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    Can't give you a day to day itinerary. Just be aware that, in addition to the huts, there are official campsites and tent platforms between them (list below.) So except for maybe the Presidential Range, it's quite possible to avoid the huts.

    It gets a bit dicey on the Presidential Range because of the distance between Mizpah and Madison huts; even strong hikers may have trouble doing that in one day, so Lakes of the Clouds hut starts looking sort of inevitable. If the weather's good, you might want to go slow and enjoy the view, in any case.

    Figure two or three days between each of those road crossings. Two days if you're strong, or in a hurry, and the weather cooperates. For a non thru-hiker, best to figure three.

    25-112: Moosilauke - Beaver Brook shelter, good hostel @Rt. 25
    112-93: Kinsmans - Eliza Brook shelter, Kinsman shelter
    93-302: Lincoln, Lafayette, Garfield - Liberty Springs, Garfield Ridge campsites, Guyot, Ethan Pond Shelters, AMC hostel at Rt. 302
    302-16: Presidentials - Osgood, The Perch, etc., AMC hostel at Rt. 16
    16-2: Wildcats, Carters, Moriah - Imp Shelter, good hostel @Rt. 2

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    Quote Originally Posted by wi11ow View Post
    Would anyone who has hiked the AT through all of New Hampshire have the time to share where you stopped each night, how many miles you hiked each day, and if you were glad you stopped where you did?
    I've looked through some trail journals but they all seem incomplete. I'm not sure where to find several full day to day accounts of the entire state.
    I'm planning and don't want to over or under estimate mileage.
    It would be fun to know some nice spots to spend the night for this section too.
    Thanks!

    Your mileage will depend on how strong of a hiker you are.

    Take your regular AT mileage, and plan for 60-70% of that in the Whites is a good starting point.

    Now try to fit that into the huts and campsites, erring to the low side on mileage
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 12-20-2016 at 22:41.

  4. #4
    Registered User hikernutcasey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wi11ow View Post
    Would anyone who has hiked the AT through all of New Hampshire have the time to share where you stopped each night, how many miles you hiked each day, and if you were glad you stopped where you did?
    I've looked through some trail journals but they all seem incomplete. I'm not sure where to find several full day to day accounts of the entire state.
    I'm planning and don't want to over or under estimate mileage.
    It would be fun to know some nice spots to spend the night for this section too.
    Thanks!
    My section hike in the Whites did not encompass all of NH but just knowing what I do about the Whites now that I have been there, it can be very very difficult to determine how far you can hike each day. I have pasted my trip report from my August 2015 trip from Franconia Notch to Gorham below. Hopefully that will give you some insight as to how you might navigate this section.

    I thought I would share some thoughts about my trip now that I have returned. First of all, I just want to say that no matter what you think you know about the Whites, until you hike them you have no idea. I did my homework and still came away astonished at the difficulty of the hiking up there. It's just punishing. To all of you who gave me advice about the daily mileages I appreciate it. The trip went great and even though the days were long the mileage we did each day worked out great. Here is a summary of the trip:

    Day 1: Franconia Notch to Garfield campsite: Yes, we made the campsite on the first day! It was not easy and was probably one of the most physically demanding days I've ever had on the trail. It was sunny and warm and the views were spectacular. We made it to Garfield by 6:00 in the evening and were beat. An unbelievable first day in the Whites to kick things off.

    Day 2: Garfield campsite to Ethan pond: at 14 miles this was our longest day but it was doable due to the stretch from Zealand Hut over to the pond. It was still a very long day and the climb up south twin was steep! Again it was hot but sunny and more views to be had.

    Day 3: Ethan pond to Naumen campsite: We sent ourselves a food re-supply to the Wiley house in Crawford Notch so this added 2 miles of road walking to this day. Again it was really hot this day and the climb up to Webster almost killed us with heavier packs from the re-supply and having to carry plenty of water. Especially the stretch from Webster cliffs over to the peak was brutal. You are exposed and it was 80+ degrees having to climb up all those rock faces right before the top. That was really, really tough.

    Day 4: Nauman to the Perch: We got up at 5:00 and were out by 6:00 and got to hike towards the sunrise towards Washington up the southern Presidentials. This was my favorite part of the hike. It was really clear out and the wind was completely still. I have to imagine this was one in a hundred type of day. On top of Washington when we arrived it was 62 degrees and the wind was blowing 3 mph. Unreal. The afternoon walk over to the Perch was just as spectacular. Views of the Northern Prezis were magnificent. It was a long difficult day but again, doable.

    Day 5: Perch to Osgood: Since we made Garfield on the first day we had kind of a buffer day to play with but since the weather was so good every day we really didn't need it. So instead we just relaxed and took it easy. I left my pack with my buddy and summited Mt. Adams and we hung out at Madison hut for a couple hours just eating baked goods and relaxing. The trip up Madison was our first run in with any kind of weather. The clouds had rolled in and coming off the other side all the way to treeline the wind was howling. It was easily blowing 30+ with much higher gusts. It was hard to walk in but since the temps were so mild it didn't even really feel cold.

    Day 6: Osgood to Pinkham Notch: The other half of the buffer day allowed us to get to our reservations we had at Joe Dodge Lodge. Again an easy, lazy day. We got the lodge before the only rain of the trip hit so that was good. Food, shower and a bed to sleep on and we were good to go for the rest of the trip.

    Day 7: Pinkham to Zeta Pass: We couldn't make it to Imp. It was just too far for us. We stealthed near Zeta with a couple thru hikers, one of whose trail journal I had been following (Airlock) so that was really cool. Again, great weather and the views from Wildcat and Mt. Height were awesome!

    Day 8: Zeta Pass to Gorham: Great weather again, and the views were starting to deteriorate as rain was forecast for the evening but we did get some good ones first thing in the morning. At this point we were tired and just ready to get to White Mountain hostel.

    So an unbelievable 8 days of hiking in the Whites without getting rained on at all and we got pretty much every single view you could ask for. It could not have worked out any better. It was truly the trip of a lifetime for us. Thanks again for all the advice and help in planning on this thread and the others I posted over the previous few months.
    Section hiker on the 20 year plan - 2,078 miles and counting!

  5. #5
    Registered User evyck da fleet's Avatar
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    On my thru I took a zero in Hanover. The first night I stopped at a cabin with a fire tower which was about a 25 mile day. I would have done four more miles downhill to the next shelter if not for thunder. The next day I stopped at the shelter before Moosilauke. It was another 25 miler and I stopped because it was 95 degrees.

    The third day I made the mistake of trying to do 17 miles to the shelter before the first hut without lunch. That wasn't a problem in any other state but I bonked and called it a day at the shelter when a thunderstorm rolled in around 4pm for the rest of the night. The fourth day the trail was slippery so I bailed into Lincoln for the day after about 8 miles.

    i stopped at the first hut along the AT the next day which was about 13-14 miles because I got there at four and could do work for stay. Probably would have hiked to the next one had I not taken an unplanned three mile detour. I did 20 miles to Mitzpah the next day because the croo said it was doable. I got there at 4 and stopped to do work for stay. I quickly did 12 to Madison and stayed there to get out of the rain. Don't arrive early for work for stay the croo will not be happy. It rained from noon on the next day so I did work for stay one more time at a hut by Carter Lake before hiking to Gotham the following day.

  6. #6
    Registered User DavidNH's Avatar
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    By "stop" I presume you mean places for getting off trail for a spell. Hanover is the perfect place to spend a day or two of non hiking. The trail goes write through downtown and past the Hanover Coop! Other than that, there is Glencliff and Gorham and Joe Dodge Lodge in Pinkham Notch (trail goes right to it) that are must stops!

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    Much thanks to everyone for taking the time to share.
    Such challenge and beauty to look forward to it seems!

  8. #8
    LT '79; AT '73-'14 in sections; Donating Member Kerosene's Avatar
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    I loved the AT through NH, although it is less about hiking and more about carefully putting one foot in front of the other to avoid tripping and falling on an exposed body part. Consequently, you average speed will plummet from what you could do on a smooth trail, regardless of elevation change. Hikers frequently average a full mile-an-hour slower on the NH AT versus the southern AT. Hard to believe, I know. I actually found that I was almost as fast going uphill over boulders than along Kinsman Ridge or down from the summit of Mt. Garfield.

    I hiked from Glencliff to Pinkham Notch in September 2006 at the age of 49 and in excellent shape:

    Day 1: Glencliff to Beaver Brook Shelter (7.9 miles; +3900' ascent/-1200' descent = 5100' total vertical (646'/mi))
    --Pretty easy hike but a good slog over Moosilauke. Took me about 5 hours with a need to wait for a T-storm to pass over the summit.
    Day 2: Eliza Brook Shelter (9.1 miles; +2300/-3800=6100 (670'/mi))
    --The descent to Kinsman Notch was brutal, and I took it too quickly with little rest, over-stressing my quads early in the hike that led to future knee pain. The walk along Kinsman Ridge was surprisingly rough and slow. It took me about 8 hours, and I'm glad that I decided to stay at the shelter rather than push up South Kinsman.
    Day 3: Liberty Springs Campsite (11.4 miles; +5350/-3300=8650 (759'/mi))
    --Brutal climb up South Kinsman, even though I was rested. Long, hot climb up the river of boulders to Liberty Springs.
    Day 4: Galehead Hut (10.4 miles; +3250/-3250=6500 (625'/mi))
    --Very cold morning, but a beautiful day with little breeze for the walk along Franconia Ridge. I think I spent almost 2 hours atop Lafayette taking in the view and eating lunch.
    Day 5: Crawford Notch (14.7 miles; +2000/-4500=6500 (442'/mi))
    --This was probably our easiest day, with smooth trail after Zealand Hut
    Day 6: Zero Day waiting out the weather

    Day 7: Lakes of the Clouds Hut (11.4 miles; +4600/-900=5500 (482'/mi))
    --A long but beautiful climb up Windsor Cliffs, even though it was pretty foggy for me. We were in the clouds all the way to LOTC Hut.
    Day 8: Half a mile trail-south of the Auto Road (11.4 miles; +3000/-5400=8400 (737'/mi))
    --An absolutely gorgeous day for summiting Mt. Washington, with an undercast and absolutely no wind. We lollygagged across the Presidential Range, just enjoying ourselves and wishing we could keep hiking.
    Day 9: Pinkham Notch (2.4 miles; +200/-800=1000 (417'/mi))

    In September 2012 I completed NH on my way north to Katahdin as a slightly less fit 54-year old with balky knees:
    Day 1: Pinkham Notch to Carter Notch Hut (5.9 miles; +2700/-1400=4100 (695'/mi))
    Day 2: US-2/White Mountain Hostel (15.2 miles; +3600/-5900=9500 (625'/mi))
    Day 3: Gentian Pond Shelter (11.8 miles; +3600/-2300=5900 (500'/mi))
    Day 4: Full Goose Shelter (9.6 miles; +3400/-2600=6000 (625'mi))

    You can find my trail journal at http://www.trailjournals.com/kerosene, with the start of the 2010 hike at http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=262021
    GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by wi11ow View Post
    Would anyone who has hiked the AT through all of New Hampshire have the time to share where you stopped each night, how many miles you hiked each day, and if you were glad you stopped where you did?
    I've looked through some trail journals but they all seem incomplete. I'm not sure where to find several full day to day accounts of the entire state.
    I'm planning and don't want to over or under estimate mileage.
    It would be fun to know some nice spots to spend the night for this section too.
    Thanks!
    I will be happy to. Also posted photo albums of my two section hikes through NH. Will PM you my cell number in case you would like to discuss.
    [I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35

    [url]www.MeetUp.com/NashvilleBackpacker[/url]

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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by wi11ow View Post
    Would anyone who has hiked the AT through all of New Hampshire have the time to share where you stopped each night, how many miles you hiked each day, and if you were glad you stopped where you did?
    I've looked through some trail journals but they all seem incomplete. I'm not sure where to find several full day to day accounts of the entire state.
    I'm planning and don't want to over or under estimate mileage.
    It would be fun to know some nice spots to spend the night for this section too.
    Thanks!
    I did a non-traditional thru-hike with few nights spent in the woods. In NH I stayed in four huts. The other nights I ended at a road crossing and shuttled to rooms. My itinerary of my entire 164-day hike can be found in the Appendix of my second book, The Don's Brother Method.

  11. #11
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    hikernutcasey's experience with fantastic weather notwithstanding, it is reasonably likely that rain, high winds, and thunderstorms up on the ridge will make it imprudent to stick to a planned itinerary at some point along the way. Having maps, so you know your points of egress to quickly retreat below tree line, is highly recommended.

  12. #12

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    The prior posters recommendation about bail out points is a wise one. Luckily despite the area looking quite wild, a road is generally reachable in 1.5 to 3 hours in the whites. A fairly reliable geographical oddity is that once a north bound thru hiker crosses Franconia Parkway until they cross RT 2 in Gorham is if in doubt and you need to get to safety take the trail heading off the ridge to your left. There are trails that will get you down off the ridge on your right but the majority of the time they drop you into a Wilderness area which usually means a much longer and usually steeper way to civilization. The trails to the left tend to be popular day hiking routes and even if they end up on the end of Forest Service road, its highly likely that there will be day hikers around to give you a ride

  13. #13
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    I never considered bail out points and I guess mistakenly assumed I would stop or backtrack if I needed to because of weather...I have the thru-hikers companion and the Guthook app but they don't seem to list any bail out routes/other choices for roads off of mountains.
    I've heard that the AT goes by other trail names in the whites but I don't see any reference to other trail names in either of these guides let alone names of other paths that will take me off mountains.
    I've never hiked with anything but those guides.
    Are there other maps I should be carrying?

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by wi11ow View Post
    ...I've heard that the AT goes by other trail names in the whites but I don't see any reference to other trail names in either of these guides let alo ne names of other paths that will take me off mountains. ... Are there other maps I should be carrying?
    IIRC, Awol's fantastic guide, The A.T. Guide, does list the alternate names of each section of trail. It's the paper one I carry. I have Guthook's app on my smartphone. Also great.

    http://www.theatguide.com/
    [I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35

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