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  1. #1

    Default Advice planning short Whites section hike

    I'm planning to return to the AT after a 15 year hiatus. (I moved to Alaska.) My son and I are flying in to Boston, renting a car and driving up to visit family in NH. We want to hike 2-4 days sometime in the first two weeks of June.

    I'm looking for what might be the "easy" part of the Whites. (I know that doesn't exist. I hiked around Monadnock in my young adult years.) This is my son's 1st backpacking trip and my first in about 10 years. I'm thinking about the Moosilauke region, but I'm open to ideas. Mostly, I'm trying to figure out where I would leave the rental car to go hike and then how to get back to it (without hitch-hiking).

  2. #2
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    I think you might want to google up “Pemigewasset Loop”.

    Fair warning — especially for a guy coming from Alaska — the section will have a lot of hikers on it and you will need to plan out your camping spots in advance. But the Franconia Ridge is as good a views gets in the East.

    People generally start at a WMNF parking lot called “Lincoln Woods” and loop over the Franconia Ridge. You would loop back to your car.

    A mostly off-AT alternative loop that is virtually flat could also be started from there by heading to Shaol Poll, then Ethan Pond and then Zealand fall and back.


    53C5A473-39F2-45AF-B445-BB06D34B7E81.jpg

    You don’t get the ridgeline views with that approach but still nice. And did I say flat! Best not to leave your headnets in Alaska for around camp.

  3. #3

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    How old is your son, and are you willing to utilize the AMC huts? I know the huts are expensive, but I have found them invaluable in hiking with children. You can carry less food and it gives kids a place to warm up and dry out in bad weather. The most challenging part of hiking with kids in the Whites is the weather. If it is cool and rainy and windy, it is hard to stop and take breaks without getting to chilly. Adults can usually just keep hiking to stay warm, but kids typically need lots of breaks.

    I started backpacking in the Whites with each of my three children at age 8. Our first trip for all three was Mt Madison.

    1. You can park at the Appalachia lot and hike up the Valley Way trail, stay 1 night at Madison Hut, then hike south on the Gulfside to either Crag Camp or Grey Knob (RMC self serve huts), then out on day three back down Amphibrach or Randolph Path back to the parking lot.

    2. Or you can reverse this, park at Appalachia, take one of the many trails up to Crag Camp or the Log Cabin, or the Perch for the first night; then go across the Gulfside trail to Madison Hut for the second night; and then back down the Valley Way to the parking lot for day three.

    When the kids were age 9 we tackled Washington. Park at the AMC Highland Center. Take the AMC shuttle to the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail. Hike up to Lakes of the Clouds Hut for 1 night. Take the Crawford Path south on day two and stay either at Mizpah Hut or the Nauman tentsite. On day three hike back to the Highland Center (you can just go down the Crawford Path, or pick up Webster and Jackson if you are feeling good).

    By ages 10 and 11 we tackled the Bonds (my favorite place in the Whites). You could do this starting at Lincoln Woods and make a loop, but we used to Huts to make it easier. We park at the Highland Center and take the shuttle to the Gale River Trail. Hike up to Galehead hut for night 1. Then hike the Twinway over to Guyot campsite for night two (hopefully getting out to Mt. Bond and Bondcliff in good weather). Day three began with breakfast on West Bond, then hike the Twinway over to Zealand Falls hut (kids love the waterfalls at Zealand Hut). Day four, hike back to Highland Center on A-Z trail.

    These hikes have been very successful for all three of my children. The terrain is difficult but the distances each day are short, and the views are motivating. There are lots more options if you use the AMC hiker shuttle system.There is a shuttle schedule on the AMC website for planning purposes.

  4. #4

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    There is no "easy section" of the whites but some less less hard sections. If you have the bucks the AMC huts can really help as your pack weight goes way down and you dont have to worry about finding a camping spot. AMC has a hiker shuttle that makes the logistics quite easy, here is link to their map https://www.outdoors.org/lodging-cam...odging-shuttle. The hassle you have is you are pushing the seasons. Early June in the whites can be nice weather but it also can be rainy. It also will be buggy down low with black flies. The good news is its shoulder season at the AMC huts so reservations during the week should be available and the huts may be less than at capacity. A big plus is the alpine flowers are usually out above treeline.

    The problem is the most spectacular stretches are connected by some hard hiking. A possible itinerary would be from Rt 302 (Webster Cliff trail on the map) to Zealand Hut the first night then Zealand Hut to Galehead hut the next night and then out the Gale River Trail. The first day is a short day of relatively flat hiking in the woods after a very short steep climb up out of the notch. The second day is more rugged with steady climb out of Zealand Hut. The views open up as you go along but are just at or above treeline for much of the day. Mt Guyot and South Twin have great views. The final descent into Galehead via the Twinway(AT) is steep but its at the end of the day. The hike out via Gale River trail is in the woods and then along the river. From there you can catch the shuttle back to your car. If you need a place to stay the night before, AMC's Highland Center is a nice place. If you want to add a night, head up the Crawford Path to Mt Pierce for a great view of the presidential ridge, then head south on the AT to Mizpah Spring Hut for the night. Next day head south over Mt Jackson and then along Webster Cliffs which has some great views before a very steep descent to Crawford Notch and then pick up the prior itinerary.

    FYI, AMC huts fill up quick and weekends may be already be booked but you usually can fit together weekdays. Note AMC does not run shuttles to the Moosilaukee area. The hiker hostel in North Woodstock has a good reputation and offers shuttles to guests. The AT stretch in the whites which includes Moosilaukee is not "easy" The ascent and descent off the mountain is quite steep and the stretch over to Kinsman Pond over the Kinsmans is long and quite rugged.

    If you are using the AMC huts, dont discount the presidential ridgeline from Crawford Notch to Appalachia. Lake of the Clouds (AKA lake of Crowds) is the most spectacular located huts and above treeline stretch between Lake of the Clouds and Madison Hut is the most spectacular stretch of the AT in the whites, but potentially very dangerous in bad weather. If you have the time add in a night at Mitzpah Spring Hut and that allows you to do the entire Presidential Traverse.

    Tied for second best hut in the whites is Greenleaf Hut (tied with Madison Hut). Unfortunately its very rugged terrain on either side of it.

  5. #5
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    Why not start at the top and go down hill. Take the cog rail to Washington then hike North to Pinkham notch. That's 2 days or 2 and a half

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by moldy View Post
    Why not start at the top and go down hill. Take the cog rail to Washington then hike North to Pinkham notch. That's 2 days or 2 and a half
    It's cheaper to use the auto road hiker shuttle. (leaves at 9 AM) I believe it's only $20 per person instead of $75 or what ever outrageous price the cog charges these days. Plus it will be easier to get back to the car at the auto road parking lot then the Cog parking lot. The AMC runs a shuttle around the mountain and can probably be talked into dropping you off at the auto road instead of at Pinkham.

    You could start at the summit of Washington, hike over to one of the RMC camps - the Perch is the closest, but I would recommend going to Crag Camp instead. Then head to Madison hut for day 2 (reservations and $$ required). Then hike down to the road and pick up the shuttle. Or if you want to extend the trip another day, continue over Mt Madison to the Osgood tent site, then out to Pinkham the last day.

    The AMC huts aren't too busy in early June, especially week days, so it shouldn't be hard to get reservations a few days before. The weather in early June can be iffy, so not locking in a date until you can be fairly sure the weather will be good is a good idea.
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  7. #7

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    My son is 16 (I neglected that in the original post, sorry.) He is not terribly active. Thanks for the advice on the huts and on campsite. I'm reading the AT trail guides (I'd really like to stick tot he AT as much as possible.) and am realizing you can't camp anywhere but the shelters. Very different than here in Alaska.

  8. #8

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    If he isnt active, 4 days would be pushing it, I would suggest sticking with the 2 night Crawford Notch to Galehead.

  9. #9
    Registered User egilbe's Avatar
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    He's going to be to sore :-)

    I've taken kids on what I thought were easy, beginner hikes and was told later it was the hardest thing they've ever done.

  10. #10
    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by egilbe View Post
    He's going to be to sore :-)
    Unless you're in really good shape and hike regularly in the Whites, pretty much everybody gets a dose of sore.

  11. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by 4eyedbuzzard View Post
    Unless you're in really good shape and hike regularly in the Whites, pretty much everybody gets a dose of sore.
    Thats my expectation. He's not terribly active, but I'm not as good as I once was, either.

  12. #12

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    As I think on it, I'm starting to like Peakbagger's suggestion of using the huts. I hear they're spendy, but I'm already spending a couple grand on this trip; what's another couple hundred? Using the huts lets me pull a 4 lbs of out of my bag, and I don't have to bring a tent all the way from Alaska.

  13. #13
    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by alaskanshannon View Post
    As I think on it, I'm starting to like Peakbagger's suggestion of using the huts. I hear they're spendy, but I'm already spending a couple grand on this trip; what's another couple hundred? Using the huts lets me pull a 4 lbs of out of my bag, and I don't have to bring a tent all the way from Alaska.
    The huts provide wool blankets, so a very lightweight sleeping bag or liner is all you will need if you stick to the huts (I'd error on the side of a light bag and emergency tarp - see below). Both dinner and breakfast are included for guests as well, so if you are only doing a hut to hut hike with no other plans, you'll be able to save significant weight on sleeping bag and pad, food, stove, and fuel as well. Just be sure to have good clothing - rain and wind outer layers, insulation layers, gloves, windproof hat that covers ears (or hat and earmuffs), (sun)glasses or even goggles in case it is really windy (it's tough on both the ears and eyes when really windy). I'd still bring an emergency shelter like a small tarp (and light bag) just in case I had to bail down off the ridge and hunker down somewhere and wait out a storm, but some may consider this overly conservative. Temperature wise, you could see anything from freezing to 60's as the highs in early June - average daytime highs in the high 40's to low 50's. I'd plan on clothing good for 30°F to be on the safe side. The wind on the exposed ridges is what really determines the experience IMO. On a bad day it can be so windy hiking becomes anything from unenjoyable to pretty much impossible.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by 4eyedbuzzard View Post
    The huts provide wool blankets, so a very lightweight sleeping bag or liner is all you will need if you stick to the huts (I'd error on the side of a light bag and emergency tarp - see below). Both dinner and breakfast are included for guests as well, so if you are only doing a hut to hut hike with no other plans, you'll be able to save significant weight on sleeping bag and pad, food, stove, and fuel as well. Just be sure to have good clothing - rain and wind outer layers, insulation layers, gloves, windproof hat that covers ears (or hat and earmuffs), (sun)glasses or even goggles in case it is really windy (it's tough on both the ears and eyes when really windy). I'd still bring an emergency shelter like a small tarp (and light bag) just in case I had to bail down off the ridge and hunker down somewhere and wait out a storm, but some may consider this overly conservative. Temperature wise, you could see anything from freezing to 60's as the highs in early June - average daytime highs in the high 40's to low 50's. I'd plan on clothing good for 30°F to be on the safe side. The wind on the exposed ridges is what really determines the experience IMO. On a bad day it can be so windy hiking becomes anything from unenjoyable to pretty much impossible.
    Thanks for the info on the weather. I was wondering about that, but I was planning for mildly freezing temps. What do you sleep on in those huts? (bunk beds, wood pallets?) I'm about to update my entire sleep system for both me and my son for this trip and could save a ton of money if it's not required. (Going from 3-4 lb synthetic Wiggy's sleeping bags to 1-2 lb down bags from REI and from 1.5 lb l old-school thermarest pads to 12 oz neolite air for both of us.) If we're not taking a tent, we're taking my two GI ponchos which snap together to make a tent using trekking poles. Not carrying a stove saves me the trouble of buying fuel in NH.

  15. #15

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    The bunks have basic 4" foam mattress with wool blankets, so a sleeping bag liner is nice if you find wool scratchy. The AMC web site probably has pictures of the bunk rooms.
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  16. #16
    Registered User egilbe's Avatar
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    I'm thinking of LOC's bunks that were stacked four high. I felt like a sardine stacked in a can.

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by egilbe View Post
    I'm thinking of LOC's bunks that were stacked four high. I felt like a sardine stacked in a can.
    There is that. You have to remember not to sit up quick!
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  18. #18
    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
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    If you do the hut trip, it would probably save a little bit of money to become members of AMC. It's $50 per adult over 30, $25 for under 30, or $75 for family. On 2 nights you'll probably save about $25 net over non-member rates. They also have a first time stay program for new members that could possibly save another $25 each if you go with the two individual memberships. https://www.outdoors.org/lodging-cam...er-guide-deals

    I would call them to work out which membership type would benefit you the most and for info on dates and itineraries. https://www.outdoors.org/about/amc-contact

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