BPL Meet in the White Mountains

might be interested depending where a route like that ends up.

trying to do 10-12mi without doing more than 3k elevation is pretty difficult to find and probably limits many areas and peaks. example.. this weekend i'll be doing 29mi in 2 days which would be considered a fairly moderate 3 day (would be 4mi shorter without a few side peaks i need to tag)

most of the white mountains are 1.5- 2hrs north of Manchester.

Hi Jake,

I am open to suggestions on routes if you would like to propose some, I have never hiked in the area so would welcome advice. I am going to edit out the 3000 feet.

Cheers,

Stephen

I'll try to see what I can think of looking at the map.. hardest part for me is finding 2 campsites since a lot of my hiking has been overnights or dayhikes.

http://www.amazon.com/White-Mountains-Waterproof-Trail-Map/dp/1890060232/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y good map to get

Much appreciated Jake :-)

Stephen,

are you going to be in the area all three of those weekends? or just one of them and you need to pick?

I'll most likely be up in the Whites all of them already, definitely the first weekend.

I would look at the Carter-Moriah-Wildcat ridge. I did it a few years back as a 3-day 2-night hike with 5 friends. It's a "major" ascent to the first peak, then ridgelines the rest of the way (with varying degrees of elevation change), then a "major" descent at the end (major as in more than the rest of the hike).
It's definitely one of the trickier areas of the Whites however, which is pretty intense if you are not used to the type of terrain found in the Whites. If you are in good physical shape you'll be fine.

another option is to do the ~24mi Presi-traverse route in two nights. you'll sacrifice miles for elevation, but it does hit the big peaks.

I could probably come up with some zig-zag hikes that would get you the miles/day and elevation restriction, but not necessarily hitting major peaks. The Zealand Falls/Thoreau Falls/Ethan Pond area comes to mind, I think you could get 36mi/3days there.

-steve

Hi Steve,

Those are the weekends I am free and able to fly in for one.

I had initially come up with the 10-12 miles a day from reading various trip reports as some folk where saying 20 miles day could be optimistic given the terrain, obviously higher mileages could be an option on easier terrain.

I had looked at the President traverse but got put off by the lack of camping and paying 95$ for a hostel is a bit much.

The Pemi loop could be interesting also.

One thing to note is I have never visited the area so only going off what I can find online.

Cheers,

Stephen

Pemi loop is a good choice. I'd probably skip it though since i'm doing the E. half this weekend and planning to do it in a day in august. (but honestly might be the best choice)

Presi traverse is MUCH easier to do in 1 day than multiple days. Picking 1 good day, start early, and go light.

i didnt add up the mileage but another option could be Garfield trail up Lafayette south to Libery springs campsite.. across the road to Kinsman pond shelter, up Cannon and back down to the beginning. a few side trips for extra peaks available.

The Randolph Mountain Club has some cabins and a tentsite on the north side of the Presidentials. They won't cook for you or put on a show, and you won't be rubbing elbows with a bunch of email-checking tourons. We spent a night at Crag Camp and had a great time with the Trail Crew that was staying there. A world of difference from Lakes of the Crowds.

Cheers guys, all good info.

The Presi has a few non-AMC-hut(I don't use them, they're not dog friendly, and the cost is ridiculous) tent sites that are available for use. Yes, it can be done in a single (long) day, but is also a good option for over-nighting if you want to enjoy the views, the terrain/etc and not be on a hyper-vigilant hike to finish in time. If the weather cooperates you can get some great views of all the Whites and even into ME and VT.

I was astonished by the price of the huts, I am still getting used to the permit system and camping restrictions over here as back in Ireland and the Uk I camped where ever I wanted to in the mountains. I can understand why with the amount of visitors.

I really want to go for the views as here in Michigan its as flat as a pool table.

The White Mountain Park does allow backcountry camping, their guide on rules and regulations can be found here.

Yes, the huts are expensive, and usually filled with causal hikers and families. They do provide dinner and breakfast as part of the cost however. Many of them are basically mountain top resorts sans vehicular access. They do treat Appalachian Trail hikers with “free” accommodation and food however, which is nice.

I believe the shelters and tent sites only cost money when they have a care taker, and the costs are usually <$10US. This is generally in peak season (so when you will be there), to cover the costs of maintaining the grounds (and in theory, to limit use?).

Other than that no permits are required to hike in the area that I know of.

I’ve spoken to many caretakers and park rangers about backcountry camping and they are extremely reasonable about it. There are definitely many “backcountry sites” that have developed over the years, and they prefer you to use them if you see one. They are unofficially taken care of by the park rangers as well as those of us who use them and care about minimizing the backcountry camping impact. One ranger told me that he and some others definitely visit them from time to time to make sure they are kept in shape.

However, AMC hut employees are basically clueless, and many times spout off on it and are completely wrong, or just ill informed. They are generally college kids, and they probably mean well, but I would not take anything they say about things beyond hut life as fact.

If you do happen to see a park ranger on your hike, I highly recommend taking advantage to chat them up, they’re a wealth of knowledge and always seem to have some great stories about their experiences working in the Parks. Of course, asking them about the maintained backcountry sites in the area is also useful.

Cheers Steve,

If breakfast and dinner is included that's not so bad.

All great information :-)

"The Randolph Mountain Club has some cabins and a tentsite on the north side of the Presidentials. They won't cook for you or put on a show, and you won't be rubbing elbows with a bunch of email-checking tourons. We spent a night at Crag Camp and had a great time with the Trail Crew that was staying there. A world of difference from Lakes of the Crowds." ~~~~Will Webster

"tourons", "Lake of the Crowds", love it!

also, yea, +100 to the RMC sites

Folks,

Can anyone confirm if they wanted to definitley attend as I would need to book flights soon before the prices go up, if no one can confirm lets put it off until later in the year.

I did my Presi traverse in 15 hours total, 5am to 8:30 with a casual lunch at Mt washington. Took in views at every peak(all 11) with photos and anything else you'd do on an overnight. Hiking fast-er doesn't mean you miss anything, you just move faster through the uneventful parts. Benefit is you're not hauling gear over difficult terrain, which makes you slower. Like going lightweight, going bigger miles is about confidence that you can do it.

ANYway.. I don't think Presi's are a great spot for group gatherings since variations in fitness, the logistic, weather challenges.. etc.

normal shelters/campsites are 8 bucks.. stayed at Guyot last night and was good except for the girl snoring in the shelter :P hopefully i woke her up at 6am when i was packing up.

I can't commit to anything so you guys can figure something out and if I know the trails i'll throw in my info.

I'll be on a hike with some friends your first listed weekend (hopefully doing the Presi as a 1 day as well, Jake I'll be in touch soon =P ). I don't have set plans for the other weekends, and could probably arrange to join you for at least a few days.

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49853-Temporary-Closure-of-Lincoln-Woods-trail

Well this is a bit of a pain for my idea of doing the Pemi in a day and takes out a trailhead that gives a lot of options.

not surprised. last few times I was in that area the trail was hurtin'.

It would be nice if they built some sort of temporary crossings to get access to Osseo and Francionia from the East Side Trail.

I am surprised it will only by a few months closure though.

yea, i'm not quite sure why they are doing it in the middle of peak season too. But the FS isn't exactly known for making sense so it's what you get.

Yea the spot they are fixing is where that ski fence is set up near the beginning.

Cheers Steve,

I am going to see if anyone else chirps in:-)

Fslk,

Flights are starting to get espensive.

Any takers? or else i will postphone.

There isn't a huge NE contingent on here… The whites are good enough to see on their own. you don't need a BPL raiding party to do it ;)

I was initially interested in the Aditondacks if I could find domeone to share the driving from the metro DC area. The Whites are too far for a substitute. Still interested in setting up a mid Atlantic BPL gathering in West Virginia or Shenandoah this fall however.