Planning a section hike of the Whites in December and have questions

[Slo-go'en]

If you went up to Gray Knob tomorrow, you'd have a half decent day Thursday. You may not make the summit of Adams, but just going up to Isabela (formally Adams 4) is a full on above tree line experience and is mostly protected from the prevailing wind.

Friday it could rain all day, but it might stay snow up at tree line. So, the debate would be to hang out in the cabin Friday and wait it out or get wet hiking out? It does cost $20 per person per night though, but it beats camping out in the snow. A winter White Mountain trip isn't complete without a stay at "The Knob". I recommend taking Lowes Path from Lowes gas station on RT2. The last mile is really, really steep.

[demonace]

Think we are just gonna do Crawford path staying at Naumen and see how far we can make it Thursday then just turn around and wait out the rain back at the site.


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[jackwagon]

If you wanted to drive around to Pinkham, you could hike on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to Hermit Lake where there are tent sites, or shelters available (Pay at Pinkham in advance). From there, it's two miles up to Washington on the winter Lion's Head trail, and half of it is out of the wind. Great views into Tuckerman and Huntington ravines. It's not the AT, though, but a better chance of summiting than when coming from the west.

[Slo-go'en]

Think we are just gonna do Crawford path staying at Naumen and see how far we can make it Thursday then just turn around and wait out the rain back at the site.

It's a heck of a climb up the AT from Naumen, but you can probably make it up to Mt Pierce. Past there you on the exposed ridge and how far you get from there depends on the wind. But, I'm sure your well on your way up Crawford now, you'll find out tomorrow.

[Slo-go'en]

Think we are just gonna do Crawford path staying at Naumen and see how far we can make it Thursday then just turn around and wait out the rain back at the site.

The heavy rain has moved in, along with strong winds. 85 mph gusts on Mt Washington. It's really windy here in the valley, so it's howling up high. At least it's warm - for the moment. Mt Washington will approach record high temps for December today. But that's not going to last long, with temps plummeting tomorrow as the cold front comes in changing the rain to snow and with even stronger winds.

There are only tent platforms at Nauman and it's a pretty exposed site, so if these guys are riding out the storm up there in a tent, they are in for one wild ride.

[T.S.Kobzol]

Thanks for the report. I have hoped maybe for snowing at higher elevations.


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[Slo-go'en]

Thanks for the report. I have hoped maybe for snowing at higher elevations.

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Not until the cold front gets here and then there will only be a trace to 1". Maybe another couple of inches from the lingering flurries late Saturday. Looks like the summit got 2.6" of rain in the last 24 hours, a high of 43 and a 105 mph gust of wind. When the cold front does get here, it's going to get real cold again and stay that way for the rest of the week. Looks like there is still a lot of rain to move out first.

[demonace]

Ok here is the update guys:
We went up Crawford at lunch Wednesday, and set up the hammocks just below the tent site to block the winds that were coming.
Thursday we left at 8:30am and hiked 8 hours to the top of Mount Washington, had dinner and left at 6pm to make it back by 11:45pm but yes winds were probably at 45mph, but thank goodness it wasn’t too cold. We had planned on staying up there today but the wind driven rain got everything wet so we hiked back down in the rain. This is the end of our trip. It’s been awesome but that last bit was quite tough. Thank you all for your help.


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[demonace]

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[peakbagger]

Wow you scored a nice day for doing Washington up the ridge. Glad you had a fun time and hopefully learned a lot.

Looks like this rain is going to reset our early winter

[mclaught]

Props to you guys for pulling it off. That was quite a trip.

[Slo-go'en]

You guys seriously lucked out with the weather. But you can see now how it can get ugly if your timing is off. A week earlier or a week later and it would have been quite a different experience.

I'll guess your hooked now and will be back to explore more. Those are some great photos. The afternoon shots clearly show the weather moving in. Makes for a great sunset, but misurable next day.

[Feral Bill]

I am glad that you had a safe, enjoyable trip.

[Old Hillwalker]

Kudos you guys. Glad you had cooperating weather for most of your adventure. Many happy returns.

[HandyRandy]

The White Mountains are certainly the most challenging terrain I have yet to come across! I learned a lot for sure. The value of staying dry and the power of wind are two great examples. It was interesting to see just how much the snow changes over time. We did have pretty good weather for the most part, yet everyday still did present new kinds of challenges. I think we got a good mix of weather and terrain to learn as much as possible in a short time frame. I have lots of ideas to do better next time.

That slackpack trek from Mizpah to Washington and back was a killer! My buddy loves doing big miles, but I think I would like to keep the miles under 5 a day next time if there’s snow on the ground.

Here’s a couple more cool pics:

[Dan Roper]

I was chief among skeptics when this thread opened. I pictured a bunch of good ol' southern boys (I'm one) going off on an adventure without having the slightest clue what they might be getting into.

These gents did their homework and are obviously in good condition. It looks like they had a blast. The photos are magnificent.

Well done, Cajuns!

[demonace]

GulfCoast Hikers FTW. lol


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[HandyRandy]

Thanks Roper

BTW, here’s a few pointers that may help. It may be common knowledge, but in case not…

The blowdown on Franconia Ridge from the Liberty Springs junction to Little Haystack is obnoxious. Bring extra clothes because you will get wet brushing up against the trees and from literally crawling through the snow to get under some trees.

Mizpah Cutoff is deep and soft. Bring big snowshoes. We had to break it on the way in.

Webster Cliff trail also had a fair bit of blowdown. Expect a little challenge.

[ADK Walker]

Nice work guys!!!!

[Slo-go'en]

You guys were definitely treated to some great conditions. You lucked out big time. It's a pretty amazing world up there isn't it?

Mitzpah to Washington is definitely a big hike, even in the summer. In some ways it's easier with snow covering all the rocks.