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

[Slo-go'en]

Where do you see it going that low? Don't get me wrong - Thursday's forecast is brutal. I'm just not seeing it quite that far down.

It may not go sub zero, but will get darn close. Those low temps are generally coupled with strong winds as the cold front comes in, so wind chill will be well below zero. Conditions will be more like February then November, that's for sure. Modest improvement in temps for Saturday-Sunday.

We're only suppose to get a couple of inches of snow today/tomorrow but there will be significantly more at higher elevations. The sun came out and the summits cleared for a little bit yesterday, just enough to see there is a lot of snow up there! First time I've seen that bright light in the sky in at least 10 days. Living in the shadow of Mt Adams does have its down side. Don't get to see the sun very often in the winter.

[sethd513]

I was referencing mountian weather forcast dot com. It’s usually pretty comparable to mount Washington weather in my opinion. Sometimes it’s actually pretty conservative in comparison to mount Washington weather. They give you summit predictions per peak and then a lower treeline prediction.

This is all really good information in this thread. I always assume I know nothing so it’s a good read especially at the beginning of the season.


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[CalebJ]

I definitely see -16 to -20 in a couple of forecasts for Thursday, just hadn't seen one go down as far as -25. Either way, quite a day for November.

[sethd513]

I was referencing mountian weather forcast dot com. It’s usually pretty comparable to mount Washington weather in my opinion. Sometimes it’s actually pretty conservative in comparison to mount Washington weather. They give you summit predictions per peak and then a lower treeline prediction.

This is all really good information in this thread. I always assume I know nothing so it’s a good read especially at the beginning of the season.


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https://www.mountain-forecast.com/pe...forecasts/1636


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[sethd513]

I definitely see -16 to -20 in a couple of forecasts for Thursday, just hadn't seen one go down as far as -25. Either way, quite a day for November.

Sorry it’s saying -22 now for that forcast it was a pinch higher last night. But this is At the peaks. I don’t mind going out when it’s saying -10 because I like a buffer. If something happens I have room for the temp to drop or change In conditions. Either way anything under 0 is dangerous and it’s good to be mindful of everything.


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[CalebJ]

Sorry it’s saying -22 now for that forcast it was a pinch higher last night. But this is At the peaks. I don’t mind going out when it’s saying -10 because I like a buffer. If something happens I have room for the temp to drop or change In conditions. Either way anything under 0 is dangerous and it’s good to be mindful of everything.

Agreed. My suspicion is that we'll (my February trip, not the OP's) adjust plans if the forecast is worse than -10 and/or significant wind (more so than usual, that is).


Is it possible you're looking at celsius numbers at Mountain Forecast?

[peakbagger]

The thing with the forecast for Thursday is that on Saturday its supposed to be in the 40s and sunny. The way to go in winter is pick your days and find something else to do on the extreme days. That is what really makes it hard to do a multi-day point to point trip. The weather patterns in November and December tend to rotate through on about a 3 to 4 day cycle. Later in the winter the patterns tend to shift to longer stretches of good weather.

[T.S.Kobzol]

I was going to go up Thursday. I’m seeing -25 at camp with -40+ windchill. Needless to say I’m waiting till Friday to camp. I have that option because I’m only 4 hours away.

I wouldn’t camp out there even if I was staying in caretaker huts without a white gas stove, bomb proof bivy, -20 or warmer sleeping bag and knowing what my base and mid layers take to dry out on my body. You should have atleast r6 or more insulation. Honestly there are many great places to experience winter. The whites might not be the best place to start but it’s one hell of a place to learn


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I am actually going to camp this Thursday, maybe sawyer pond, test some new gear that i plan to use this winter at Baxter State Park.


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[sethd513]

I am actually going to camp this Thursday, maybe sawyer pond, test some new gear that i plan to use this winter at Baxter State Park.


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That’ll be sick. We have good gear to take but my wife is going this time and if she’ll go I do what she’s comfortable with. She was fridged last time we went so I got her some new stuffs in hope of feeling warmer and gaining confidence.


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[HandyRandy]

Joking aside, thanks for the advice and tips. We are looking forward to learning what this place is like!

[rickb]

I am actually going to camp this Thursday, maybe sawyer pond, test some new gear that i plan to use this winter at Baxter State Park. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I rather like Sawyer Pond from the Kank.

I took my now wife there (or perhaps she took me ) on our finest backpack together. There is something to be said for Trails in the Whites with virtually zero elevation gain. There not very many, but that is a good one so long as you can rock hop right at the start.

[T.S.Kobzol]

funny part is that I've been up Carrigain 3 times and I've skied the road from 302 a few times but I have never been to the pond. :-) But I have always thought this could be a fun winter outing. My wife has to work on Thanksgiving so I'm free to go camping as long as I make it back home by noon time on Friday :-) Keeping fingers crossed that I get out of the house on Thursday morning. There are always some societal roadblocks ;-)

I rather like Sawyer Pond from the Kank.

I took my now wife there (or perhaps she took me ) on our finest backpack together. There is something to be said for Trails in the Whites with virtually zero elevation gain. There not very many, but that is a good one so long as you can rock hop right at the start.

[rickb]

It just dawned on me that my way in might be overrun by snowmobiles by now.

[Slo-go'en]

It just dawned on me that my way in might be overrun by snowmobiles by now.

I don't think they have opened the gates to the snowmobile trails yet. Only trails on state land can be used before mid December if there is sufficient snow, which is still marginal in most places out side of the northern Presidentials.

[peakbagger]

I have a snowmachine trail at the front of my property (not by choice), its not open until December so the woods are quiet until then.

Sawyer Pond has been a party spot in the non winter season for years. The only time is quiets down is when Sawyer River road washes out (which seems to be occurring far more often).

[T.S.Kobzol]

I would not go there in the summer. Well I'm back and I was there alone broke trail all the way. It was cooold


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[Slo-go'en]

Well, it's almost mid December. I wonder if the OP and his friend are still coming up this way? The sun finally came out today, haven't seen that bright light in the sky for well over a week. But of course, now it's wicked cold.

[sethd513]

I’m hoping to get up there a couple times this month. We’ll see how the weather plays out. It’s such a great area to live near because you can be flexible with your trips. Much harder to decide when a plane ticket is involved. Wear your snowshoes!


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[demonace]

Yup we are geared to the teeth and making tons of contingency plans thanks to all the knowledge shared on this thread. You guys have really helped shape our trip. Can’t wait to get there. Lot of testing being had with all of our gear. Learning everyday more and more. Again thank you all for all your feedback!


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[Slo-go'en]

Good luck. The temps are going to be wicked cold until the weekend, then it warms up and we get another slush storm. Rain/freezing rain/wet snow. Looks like Sat, Sun and Mon will be nasty. You don't want to be out in it. Ideal hypothermal conditions. Then it goes back into the teens at night to turn that mess back into ice. There are usually strong winds associated with the cold front moving in too.

Apparently there isn't a whole lot of snow except around where I live and that has mostly turned into concrete, but there will be plenty of ice. Active trails are real icy, all trails have a lot of branches and occasional down trees across them. Any stream crossing are high water and ice cold.