Camping in the Whites

[cmuthig]

So, this information may already be on the site somewhere, but I am having trouble finding it all. I am planning a fast hike of the AT for this summer. I plan to do long days and some stealth camping where necessary. What I need to know is where stealth camping is legal along the Whites. I've read that above treeline you can't camp in any place that is not designated as a site, but which sections of the Whites are above the treeline? All of it really? Thanks for any information.

[Old Hillwalker]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/arch...hp/t-5533.html

[johnnyblisters]

Do you hammock?

[modiyooch]

I know that at the very least, you cannot camp within 1 mile of the AT road crossing, or the standard 1/4 or was it 1/2 mile perimeter of the huts. You have to be below treeline and 250 feet off the trail.
That being said, I camped 3 times and that was without taking side trails. Twice, I was very fortunate to find the spots.

[AUhiker90]

If you really want you can camp all the way through the whites but its better to have a buddy who is familiar with the trail through there.

[DavidNH]

Sections above Tree line in NH White Mountains:

Summit of Mount Moosilauke

Franconia Ridge from Little haystack over Lincoln and Lafayette do near MT Garfield.

The biggie is the Presidential Range from Mt Pierce, Eisenhower, Monroe Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison and good ways down Ridge. That is a good two days of hiking entirely above tree line. The fastest most fit hikers might do it in one very very long day.

It is not legal to camp above tree line and if you do try to stealth camp up there with anything less than a bomb proof 4 season mountaineering tent then you deserve what you get. The weather may be nice at 3 pm but you could have hurricane force wind driven rain hours later. It happens. Camping above tree line--DON'T DO IT.

Solve this problem by arriving at Lakes or Madison huts and humbly asking for work for stay.. do light chores and you can sleep on table in hut and get to eat food with crew.. realize you will get woken early .. before sun rise.

Below tree line the vegetation is mostly spruce fir. There's no level ground anywhere except at designated sites (where you likely have to fork over 8 bucks per night to a care taker.

Also keep in mind the rugged nature of the whites is going to slow you down. 10 miles per day is a solid day. 20 miles per day is a heck of a feat.

David

[4eyedbuzzard]

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/whit..._rules_web.pdf

[Crash]

.Below tree line the vegetation is mostly spruce fir. There's no level ground anywhere except at designated sites (where you likely have to fork over 8 bucks per night to a care taker.
David

That's when a hammock comes in real handy.

[10-K]

Also keep in mind the rugged nature of the whites is going to slow you down. 10 miles per day is a solid day. 20 miles per day is a heck of a feat.

David

I averaged 15 mpd through the Whites, stopping a little short each day because I stayed at the huts all the way through.

It was my great good fortune that I hit the first hut the day before it was officially opened to the public and I was able to do work for stay at each hut all the way through. I left the Whites weighing quite a bit more than I did when I went in.

But, if it hadn't of been for the huts it would have been a complete drag finding a place to stay every night. Don't know what I would have done.

[cmuthig]

Thanks for all the information. The links were pretty helpful. That explanation is exactly what I was looking for, David. Thanks for much for it. I don't plan to hammock on this trip. Most of my gear selection for this summer is meant to minimize my weight, so the hammock isn't making it on this trip. I feel much better about planning the trip through the Whites now, thanks everyone.

[Slo-go'en]

If you are truely doing big miles through the Whites, you should be able to blow through the areas where camping is difficult or impossible, though it might take a little planning.

Try to use designated (developed) camp sites. Even along sections of the trail where it is legal to camp, finding a suitable spot can be difficult. Finding one at the end of a long day at dusk is going to be real chore.

This is because our forests are dense, the ground is littered with large boulders and lots of duff like tree branches and the slope of the ground is often great. A hammock is the most practical way of camping off trail in NH and Maine, with a Bivy sack a second best. On average, it would be easier to find/clear a spot just big enough to lay down on then it would be to set up a tent.

[cmuthig]

I will be carrying a bivy and tarp system for the length of the trail, so even though I'm not in a hammock, I need very little space to set up camp. I'm doing a SOBO hike, so I plan to do long days (not unrealistically fast, just long), but seeing as the Whites are early in my trip, I don't want to expect too much of myself. So knowing what my options along the trail in that area is important to me. I think I have it planned out now that I should be hitting designated camping areas each night along the way.

[peakbagger]

The popular spot that has a lot of evidence of bootleg campsites is on the Jewell trail just below treeline. There is a stream that runs across the trail up hill of the site and there once you drop down intot he trees there is a fairly large area to the right and a bunch of smaller areas spread through the spruce to the left. These are not traditional camping areas that most would use but are flat enough for a sleeping bag and a bivy. GIven the terrain I expect it would be wet if it rains and if the standard prevailing westerly wind brings in some weather, you are staring right in the face of it. There are also some spots in the woods between Pierce and Eisenhower that are used. There are also some spots between Mitzpah and Jackson. There are some very open but somewhat sheltered spots at Sphinx col (above treeline) and some between Edmonds and Adams. There are not many options on the Osgood ridge over to Madison.

As noted if the weather is good and you are hiking later into the evening, there are plnety of spots to catch a few hours of sleep but if the weather is nasty, the run from Edmonds Col to Lake of the Clouds can be real exposed no matter where you stay.