Hiking in the Whites, 1st wknd in August, need above treeline advice.

….Perhaps all the pics I see of the Whites online are only sunny because…well…it wasn't worth taking the pictures when it was cloudy a decent percentage of the time, haha.

I'm concerned with sun/skin damage and dealing w/ the wind.

I'm heading up there tomorrow for a week, but will probably be above treeline for only a couple days. In the green tunnel I usually tie a bandana over my head if I need cover but this time I'll be wearing my desert hiking hat (Columbia Omnishade – that's it in my current avatar) and since the wind is predicted to be about 30 mph on top of Mt Washington I'll be wearing rain jacket and wind pants as well. My biggest fear is getting caught above treeline by thunderstorms; in a lot of areas there aren't a lot of escape routes and they can be treacherous when wet. From looking at the auto road temperature profile it appears that treeline is about 10F warmer than the summit.

I tend to use the weather forecast for Mount Washington from weather.com as a worst-case estimate. Right now it's estimating a low of 39F for tonight, and around 50F after that.

http://www.weather.com/weather/5-day/Mount+Washington+NH+USNH0154:1:US

Ok, I am thinking of:

– 40F JRB quilt, custom down balaclava, JRB down sleeves.
– Hiking pants and long sleeved top (I always wear them, even in dead of summer. I had applying/carrying sunscreen and bug dope so I wear long sleeves)
– MontBell Hat I referenced previously (This may not be enough protection on my bald head from PV)
– Montbell Flash vest, JRB down sleeves, and DriDucks rain jacket for rain/warmth.

Additional thoughts? Might bring long john bottoms for sleeping at night and or wearing while hiking if it gets nasty w/ cold rain. Can't recall the last time I wore rain pants while hiking.

White Blaze

I use the general weather report to determine what I'll wear for any given trip into the whites.

I know you're a much colder person than I so you're insulation levels will probably want to be better than what I take.

At this point in the summer I generally wear board shorts and a good hiking t-shirt. I use my go-lite quilt since it's light and I can easily "open" it up if I'm to warm.

I use my pack towel as head wear when the sun requires me to.

I take a windshirt because above the tree line it will be windy.

If the weather calls for rain and cooler temps I'll take a rain jacket, very cool temps (which just never happens in the summer there) rain pants as well. but if it's rain and high temps I don't bother, and I enjoy the cooling effect of the rain.

That said, I do 90% of my hiking up in the Whites, so I've become accustomed to the nature of the terrain and weather. Now that I have very few 4K's left on my list (and our Presi will knock off a majority of what I have left) I'm interested to see how that prepares me for the other areas (I found Katahdin very easy, though we did have excellent weather).

Eh?

I do, but I'd say 80% of the people I see up there don't. of course, I wear my sunglasses *everywhere* so I'm special (ed' not lunchroom table).

My recommendation is not to camp above treeline since that would be in violation of the law. There's far too much traffic for people to be backcountry/stealth camping in the Whites and the restriction to the huts is necessary to keep that wilderness as wild as possible.

We're not planning on camping above treeline as stated in my first post:

"I hear the wind can kick up quite good while hiking and this time of year get down to 40F at night when camping below treeline."

yea, it can def get below 40F at night, it all depends on where and you're elevation. I used to take my mummy liner in the summer which is/had generally been enough for me, but it weighs as much as my quilt and I got screwed one night where it got too cold to sleep. I may or may not have stolen my dog's body heat that night (what happens in the White Mountains stays in the White Mountains?).

there are plenty of well maintained stealth sites all over the Whites. I've talked to shelter workers and park rangers before and they've all told me the same thing: if it's there already and it's well taken care of by hikers, we'd prefer their continued use over the creation of new stealth sites. you can't stop stealth camping, so it's better to have it controlled to this extent than to be the enemy, which only makes the situation worse.

that said, hammock hangin' ftw!

Well on my presi in a day there was a light breeze most of the day and bluebird skies. i put sunglasses on just before Washington.. probably around Jefferson/Clay. Also had my coolmax mesh hat on most of the day. Consider that from Adams to Pierce there is basically no tree cover so that is a lot of exposure to the sun. Once you get to Mitzpah it is back into tree cover.

wind really only kicked up on the sides of washington and all the way to Lakes. after that it was back to a light breeze.

good point Jake, Adams to Pierce IS all open skies, I'll finally get that tan my office job does not offer.

I also just realized this will be my second year of hiking Washington two or more times within a summer…

Leaving for Long trail sunday (hoping to see Ryan in the middle) but I may do the Presi in a day again with some other friends when i get back ;) want to go for 3 times up? haha

I know Bryce's reasons for breaking it up but I do feel that 1 day is simpler and possibly easier than 3 days. especially when it comes to packing for the weather of 1 day vs 3 in an area known for variables.

i definitely agree with your "getting used to" the Whites. I am at about 30 on the 4k list

have fun on the LT and say hi to Ryan for us! are you doing the whole thing in one shot? I'd love to be able to take that time off work, but would rather spend two straight weeks in Europe.

Let me know when you're going to do it with your friends, if I don't have plans I could be convinced to join ya =P

Pretty sure you can't backcountry camp anywhere other then the huts and the few camp grounds unless that's changed in 3 years since I was on the AT.

Yea.. 18-20 something days? he is doing it in 2 weeks Southbound so i should crash into him sometime in the middle.. he'll be the blur wooshing past me at 3+mph. hehe i'd rather spend 2 weeks in VT than europe ;)

will do.

there is no law against it. it's just frowned upon.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5363715.pdf

it's been that way for more than 3 years.

that said, they may be more "strict" on the AT through hikers since there are so many of them and a lot of them are "first timers" and may not be as trustworthy to follow the rules.

your set up looks fine to me. You aren't bringing a windshirt and you may want to bring something like that. But you will have your overnight gear, so should have enough to keep warm. The wind can be extreme and strong winds happen all the time, so you will have to deal with it and/or adjust your plans and get off the ridge. Clothes that don't flap are key, and you may want to remove or tuck any strap or anything else that could fly around. Hopefully your dri ducks fit well enough to wear.

Bear in mind that with the frequent strong wind above treeline, if it is raining as well there is no rain gear on earth that will keep you dry. The wind will force the wet in no matter what. So plan on being wet and having something dry to sleep in (unless you're like Andrew Skurka and can just sleep in your wet clothing and be warm).

Have fun, guys! I'm jealous. Despite all my doom and gloom below, the odds of excellent weather are good for the beginning of Aug.

Will said, "in a lot of areas there aren't a lot of escape routes" Here's a list of Presidential Traverse Escape Routes with compass headings, etc.:
http://www.chauvinguides.com/presitraverse/presiescapes.pdf
It could be handy to have in a summer storm and life saving in winter; for a winter traverse I'd memorize it.

UV: I just had a suspicious mole removed from my scalp; all tested OK, but it made me more aware of sun damage. I'd make sure that your hat/etc. really blocks UV.

Hypothermia: You need to be prepared for hiking in 35F in heavy rain with high winds, i.e., hypothermia weather. I'd say carry long johns plus fleece jacket plus fleece hat plus full rain gear. Driducks are marginal in the kind of winds you could get; at least bring something to use as a belt on the jacket and maybe add a draw string to the hood. For windy rain or sleet I'd prefer a better hood than the driducks has. If the weather turns bad you won't be able to set up camp to warm up above tree line. I'd carry more warmth than you imagine you need even if the weather forecast is for good weather. As Jake says, a one day traverse can be easier because you only need a good one day weather window. 2 days out the weather can be unpredictable.

Bryce, I'd say that your JRB quilt will be fine for sleeping, your down balaclava is overkill for dry conditions and not good for hiking in a cold rain. Bring a warm fleece top and hat (or synthetic balaclava).

Yeah, the down balaclava is heavy duty, better save it for colder sleeping weather and just bring a good hat in case I need to hike in the hat as well.

I just ordered a "Sunday Afternoons Sport Hat." It is heavier than my normal monthbell hat, but 100x better for protecting my bald head. I guess I'm not as hardcore UL as I thought but it should protect me well.

I don't plan on bringing a wind shirt as I've had really good luck with my Dri Ducks Jacket. I guess I'll bring my MLD rain chaps. They can be worn while sleeping for a bit of extra warmth if cold as well.

I've always loved performance of the Driducks Jacket. Is the intense driving rain going to push through that? to get at my insulation JRB down sleeves and my flash vest?

Bryce: "I've always loved performance of the Driducks Jacket. Is the intense driving rain going to push through that?" Rain won't push through the fabric, just around it. If yours fits better than mine this might not be a problem (can rain blow up under the waist?) The Sunday afternoon hat would help a lot with the lousy driducks hood.

Your JRB sleeves seem very warm, but if down gets soaked it's not so good. I'm not familiar with the Flash vest.