One day for hiking the whites

[centerfieldr162]

Which hike would you do?

I’ve never been and my wife has a conference in Boston and we have one day to hike the whites during our time frame up there.

We are both very capable hikers and can cover miles and elevation. Looking for something tough but rewarding with views/summits.

Any help is appreciated. I know the weather is temperamental and unpredictable and am doing a lot of research. Thanks in advance

[One Half]

Obviously climb Mt Washington. I would go up through Tuckerman's Ravine and the Lion Head Trail probably. I don't have a map and it's been years since I did it but if memory serves me correctly that's what I would recommend.

[peakbagger]

Lincoln Lafayette Loop in Franconia Notch. Its a straight shot up I93 from Boston Get room near Lincoln NH, get up very early and be at the trail head before 7 AM. (the earlier the better.. Park at the Lafayette place parking lots and take Old Bridle Path up to Mt Lafayette. The views start early but so does the hiking. Stop at the Greenleaf AMC Hut and check it out for a future trip. No need to bring a lot of water up to Greenleaf but bring a spare empty bottle. Fill up the bottles at the public tap. Now continue on Greenleaf trail to the summit getting a taste of alpine hiking. Now head sough along the Franconia Ridge over Lincoln and then down to Haystack. Now head steeply down Falling Waters trail. Falliing Waters has series of large water falls that the trail crosses. Follow the trail back to the place you started. Some guides recommend the same route counterclockwise but that means most folks rush by the waterfalls in the early AM and done stop to enjoy them plus they are carrying more water. Its easy to run out of water on this hike.

Sure Mt Washington is the big peak but its zoo on top with lots of traffic noise even up high from the auto road and the cog railroad. Its also an extra 45 minutes from Boston. If you want the Northern Presidential feeliing without the zoo, Adams and possible Madison from Appalachia Pakring lot on RT 2 via the Airline or if you want experience ravine hiking Kings Ravine. Madison Hut is an AMC hut in high col between the two summits. You do need a good map of the trail network as the RMC trails are very dense on that side of the mountain.

Both of these descriptions are 4000 to 5000 foot elevation gain days with a multiple hours of above treeline hiking. Bring your A game and plan on walking slow the next day. There are shorter big bank for you buck days but you asked for tough and rewarding. BTW the Mt washington observatory does a updated higher summit forecast in the evening and early morning. Check it before you go in the AM. Remember the early the better, ideally leave before sunrise and catch the golden hour light. Thunderstorms and clouds on the summits can form early afternoon, you want to be heading down by 1 PM.

I am a "local" since 1987. Note weekends are really busy to make reservations in advance.

[GoldenBear]

Just DON'T repeat the mis-adventures of the second hike!

https://whiteblaze.net/forum/entry.p...itle!-(Part-1)

[peakbagger]

I made my recommendations on the OP's assertion that both he and his wife were up for the challenge. I am 62 carrying a few more pounds than I should and recovering from a broken and dislocated ankle last November and did the Lafayette Lincoln Haystack loop about 6 months after my surgery to get hardware installed. My normal time is 8 1/2 hours this time it took me about 9 and 1/2 hours (downhills really suck as I need to look at every step). That said I hike around here a lot. Folks used to long grassy approaches down south are in for surprise in the whites as geology means little or no topsoil and lots of rocks or ledge underneath. Most of the major trails are effectively paved with rocks for much of the length.

I skipped a Mt Washington variation as the summit is zoo and the major trails are very crowded to the point where they become a moving conga line. There are some options out of Great Gulf area but the lack of blazes (wilderness area) is not a first timer option. Mt Adams may be bit shorter but far more a what a high summit in New England should look like (same with Lafayette and Lincoln).