Summer Presidential – Carter-Moriah 50 mile loop (with 14 4000’ers!)

That looks like a great itinerary: ambitious enough with out killing yourself, scenic, and loads of fun.

The Dry River area your second day might be tough because some of those trails are just reopened after TS Irene and may not be in top shape. I hope to get out there in the next couple weeks and will let you know.

Day 3's going to be a long one, especially up and over the Wildcats from Pinkham.

That fourth day's a good one, too; the climb up from Carter Notch is a heck of a way to start the day.

Quit a bit of time up high on days 1-3, so weather might be a challenge.

The Town & Country is a great place to stay in Shelburne when you finish…

have fun and remember- pictures or it didn't happen.

I will tell you that you need to fill up water at Carter hut/pond. at least when i did it there was nothing until Imp shelter, which is a bit off trail but nice source. not sure about stealth camping.. i know it is pretty steep on both sides, so one of the cross trails might be best bet.

Looks cool anyway.. never stayed at the perch. I did Presi in a day instead. Also did wildcats to Imp shelter in a day and probably could have done the whole thing with my current fitness/gear so you should be ok starting part way.

IIRC from days of yore, the Perch campsites (platforms) are property of the Randolph Mtn Club and you will need reservations unless you have other camp plans.

http://www.randolphmountainclub.org/sheltersinfo/aboutourshelters.html

That's a great loop and a reasonable pace. Should have time to "smell the roses", but as Richard points out the weather above treeline can turn really nasty any time of the year.

As per the link-
Reservations are not accepted at any of our shelters; usage is on a first-come, first-served basis.

I'm planning a three day trip leisurely presi traverse at the end of the month. I was thinking of extending it west towards the pemi and see what we can do, but that sounds awesome.

There is sig. time above treeline on almost any hike you do in the Whites for 4k's so having the good 4000 footer map and have a plan off the ridge. at least the Huts have weather reports posted. not sure about shelter/tentsite caretakers.

i've done all 48 with 0 rain or major threat. though many were long day hikes with good forecasts.

48 without rain?!?

You must be a charter member of a club of one.

Don't hike with me! I've been on most of them when the weather was good, but can't think of one I've never been on when it was crappy!

I feel badly for through hikers who look forward to The Whites all the way up from Georgia, and then hit 4-5 days of rain from Moosilauke through the Presidentials.

I did most of them as day hikes or single overnights. only exception being the first time around the pemi loop was a 4 day when i was younger. being able to pick your weather window makes it nice. doing them 3-6 peaks at a time helps. I think only 3 were done by themselves?

Rain passed by on Moosilauke but missed, did the Tripyramids in fog but no rain, and i dunked one side of me in a river going to Owls head :P

smart thru hikers won't get finish fever and wait out a bad stretch then hit the Whites with good weather. unless they are really late then it is worth it view and safety wise.

Yes I am a bit nervous about the Dry River area post-Irene. Last year I hiked around the Wild River Wilderness area a bit and some of the crossings were pretty treacherous (of course it had poured for several days beforehand). Anyone know if there are any creeks/rivers to ford worth mentioning down in that valley now?

Also agreed that stealth camping near Carter Notch may be tricky. I've heard there are some spots near the intersection of the 19 mile brook trail and the Wildcat Ridge Trail (just far enough from the hut to be legal). Anyone with any experience know if that's correct? I will probably go with a hammock (which I don't prefer for sleeping but is much easier for stealth camping the Whites!)

As for the weather…best laid plans and all that. Though it is a fair point that over 4 days with plenty of above-treeline hiking odds are pretty high that I'll have more than just blue skies to deal with. I'm just glad no one commented that it's too grueling a trip as laid out!

Richard – I'll be sure and post a trip report (with pictures) when I'm done. Thanks again all!

"I'm just glad no one commented that it's too grueling a trip as laid out!"

well… i've done Presi in a day, Pemi in a day, multiple 20mi days on my Long Trail thru, few other long days. so until you get to 24hr Hut traverse it is all ok with me ;) (24hr hut traverse is a Someday? goal).

pretty familiar with all of the trails except going across Isolation (only did it once from the East) so you'll have fun