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  1. #1
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    Default Parking at/near Grafton Notch and food drop

    I would like to leave a truck at or near Grafton Notch for multiple days. Or get a scheduled food bag drop when I get to Grafton Notch. Any ideas?
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    Finishing the AT sometime in 2037.

  2. #2
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    ive left a vehicle in grafton noth for 3 or 4 nights a couple of times, no issues.

    pine ellis lodge would be the people in the area i'd talk to about a food drop or shuttle or anything like that

  3. #3

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    Yes there is a large parking lot at the Notch. Pine Ellis does make trips to this area. They actively encourage thru hikers to slackpack through the western maine section starting at Grafton Notch. Its not just altruistic they are in business and do charge for their services.

    If for some reason you are looking for an alternative, Mahoosuc Guide Service is a mile or two down the road. They do not actively advertise AT services that I know of but may be worth a try

    This parking lot did at one point have a car break in problem but it was eventually traced to an individual from a nearby city.

    Lot to be said to park at the Hostel in Shelburne Nh and get a ride to Grafton Notch and hike back then leapfrog forward to Andover and get a ride to Grafton Notch and hike over to Height of Land and catch a ride back to Andover.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by tdoczi View Post
    ive left a vehicle in grafton noth for 3 or 4 nights a couple of times, no issues.

    pine ellis lodge would be the people in the area i'd talk to about a food drop or shuttle or anything like that
    I would leave my truck for 7 days if I could clear it with a park staff person, but I couldn't really find much about anything like that on the parks website. Also, the website alludes to needing a pass to be in the park? I would just resupply at my truck and move on and get my truck at a later date
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    Finishing the AT sometime in 2037.

  5. #5
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    Can one get Verizon cell service at the top of Old Speck Mountain?
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    Finishing the AT sometime in 2037.

  6. #6

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    Unless things have changed its basically a series of roadside attractions whit no significant staffing. There is a park building south of the notch but I dont even remember it being staffed. Its likely you can get Verizon cell coverage from Mt Speck as its line of sight over to the ski area to the south.

  7. #7

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    The Grafton notch parking area is pretty busy, often full on the weekends. Cell service should be okay long the ridges and summits. Once you start getting down into the notches, it will go away.

    Contact Pine Ellis for possible food drop, see if their willing to run over there in the late morning or early afternoon, which is when you'd likely show up there if coming from Speck Pond. But it's only an extra day to get from Speck pond to East B hill road, so if your going to end up in Andover anyway, hardly worth the expense. Gorham to Andover is like a 5 night, 6 day hike for a reasonably strong hiker. It's one heck of a hike too.
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  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by joefryfry View Post
    I would leave my truck for 7 days if I could clear it with a park staff person, but I couldn't really find much about anything like that on the parks website. Also, the website alludes to needing a pass to be in the park? I would just resupply at my truck and move on and get my truck at a later date
    People park at Grafton Notch to do the loop trail, which takes 4-6 days so it's not unusual for a vehicle to be parked there for a while. The area is lightly patrolled, as it's a bit out of the way. They do ask you to pay a parking fee, but I doubt they actually collect much money there.

    If your only going to leave the truck there for 7 days and since it will take the better part of a day to get to and from the Notch to where you start/stop, that cuts into the time you can hike. I hope you are not underestimating the difficultly of this area, which is significant.
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  9. #9
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    What are your plans, hiking to and from? I hope you're in good shape. It's a lot of up and down through the Mahoosucs. Pretty area though. Hiked the GNLT last October and just before the summit of Old Speck, the view was fabulous looking out towards the High Peaks region. The trail down from the summit towards Sunday River Whitecap was soft and easy on the feet. A dream trail.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by egilbe View Post
    What are your plans, hiking to and from? I hope you're in good shape. It's a lot of up and down through the Mahoosucs. Pretty area though. Hiked the GNLT last October and just before the summit of Old Speck, the view was fabulous looking out towards the High Peaks region. The trail down from the summit towards Sunday River Whitecap was soft and easy on the feet. A dream trail.
    I made similar plans last year over the Presidentials and Wildcats and Carters and was able to keep up with the plan with some time to spare at night. I am about as strong a hiker as you can be without being a thru hiker. Been reading through trail journals seeing what others mileages are through there. Many say that Gorham to Grafton can be tougher than anything in NH, but I don't think my plan is real aggressive. The good thing about the fourth of July hikes is its near the summer solstice and I take full advantage of the long days. Its 15 hours of daylight and I will hike at least 12 of those hours. 10 mile days planned. My legs, knees, mind and body can do it, but my feet take a beating.
    Last edited by joefryfry; 01-20-2019 at 22:25.
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  11. #11

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    Shelter to shelter is a fair pace. You'd think you could manage shelter to shelter since they're only 5 miles apart on average, but those 5 miles is equal to 10 in terms of effort. I was up there last spring with a friend who kept wondering if we were still actually on that AT. I kept saying we have to be, there is no other possible way to go. The trail in serious need of brushing and blazing. You don't want to be caught between shelters when it's getting late.

    I love the Mahoosuc's, but every time I hike them, they beat me up more and more.

    Here's the view from Mt Success:
    8a_aug_19.JPG
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  12. #12

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    Folks trail run from Hogan Road to Grafton Notch in a day. That said many backpackers underestimate the stretch as there is lot of small elevation changes that add up interspersed with steep straight climbs up and down slopes. There are a few sections that have been rebuilt with switchbacks (Full Goose to the Notch) and a much older reroute up Mahoosuc Arm that I suspect some folks would not recognize as an improvement over what was originally there. Luckily the fire wardens trail up to Mt Speck (the former AT route) was abandoned years ago it was reportedly the steepest section of the AT in Maine. It shouldn't be that much of shock to thruhikers as the Wildcat Carter Moriah range tends to be good introduction to a generally far rougher and slipperier trailbed that that found south of Pinkham.

    Folks dont realize that the Mahoosucs are the longest stretch of the AT north of the Smokies with no public or private road crossings. Longer then the so called 100 mile wilderness which is interspersed with private logging roads. The thing that makes it feel more accessible are that there are a lot of side trails although the ones to the north end up on a remote logging road (Success Pond Road) which is a hard hitch and is notorious for being underestimated on how long it takes to drive to trailhead. It also feels less wild as a rather notorious timber liquidator has been consistently been clearcutting the woods to the north for about 20 years right up to the AT boundary and even to the south there has been heavy cutting.

    One other comment is the Shelburne area is notorious for mosquitoes in some areas and they tend to hang on longer then in most areas. I have been driven to hiking with a rain coat on a hot day as the mosquitoes were so bad. Once the trail runs up away from the valley and up and over Mt Success.

  13. #13
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    Now I'm thinking of leaving my own food drop hidden in a bear canister at Grafton Notch. Would this be absurd? I've heard of people making a resupply for themselves before, so I wouldn't think this is weird. I wouldn't think a critter would mess with it, and I wouldn't think a person would likely find it
    Shoestring
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    Finishing the AT sometime in 2037.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by joefryfry View Post
    Now I'm thinking of leaving my own food drop hidden in a bear canister at Grafton Notch. Would this be absurd? I've heard of people making a resupply for themselves before, so I wouldn't think this is weird. I wouldn't think a critter would mess with it, and I wouldn't think a person would likely find it
    I suppose. So long as you can find it again. I'd go 100 paces straight back from the privy, a reference point which isn't going to move.
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  15. #15

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    I have stashed a bike there in the past. Its mostly backpackers and day hikers that park there as its basically a parking lot in the woods with two trailheads so not a lot of folks roaming around in the woods. There is most likely bear activity so anything you leave should be bear proof.

  16. #16
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    I hid a bear canister there. It was there for the resupply when I got there and was there when I went to get it on the way home. Worked like a charm!
    Shoestring
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    Finishing the AT sometime in 2037.

  17. #17

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    Its great it worked out for you . Just as important how did you like the Mahoosucs?

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by peakbagger View Post
    Its great it worked out for you . Just as important how did you like the Mahoosucs?
    Very tough, but great!
    Shoestring
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    Finishing the AT sometime in 2037.

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