Labor Day Weekend...

What is everyone's plans for the upcoming Labor Day Weekend? For me it's the annual "college friends/cooler camping trip". We'll most likely do a dayhike up Chocurua or possibly Jefferson via Caps Ridge based on the group's enthusiasm and the weather. What are your plans?

Well, I took off Friday to hopefully get a jump on everyone. So I'm going to do a little Mountain Biking at Gunstock that day, and if I'm feeling ambitious, I might try out the new Crosskates (Rollerskis). Saturday I was thinking of doing Mt. Adams and Mt. Madison. I haven't decided which route to take though. I've never climbed either, so I'll take any suggestions anyone has.
See you on the trail. I'll be the one with the sore legs and sweat covered shirt. Say "hi" if you see me. :smile:

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Head(wall)Hunter on 2001-08-28 00:07 ]</font>

I'm planning on just staying home and waiting for all the crowds to leave the White Mountains :smile:. The 3 week period following Labor Day is actually my favorite time to hike, especially on weekdays. No bugs, no crowds, no problem finding campsites. Ahh, the joy of solitude.

Sending my son to college. I'll be in the Whites the following week - either Cabot/Bulge/Horn or Madison/Adams w/daughter Kayla.

Head(wall) Hunter: Lots of good options for Adams/Madison. I like Airline up, Valleyway down - no need to spot a car. Lowe's Path is also nice, but over a mile away from the Appalachia trailhead. Airline to Short Line to King Ravine is spectacular - should not be attempted by any newbies or anyone afraid of heights. Airline to Randolph to Spur is also very nice. Lots of options on that side of the hills! I suggest picking up a copy of "Randolph Paths" available from MountainWanderer.com. They can usually get it to you in 3 days.
Good Luck - Adams is spectacular! - SherpaKroto

After doing an overnight trip to the Bonds last Tuesday, I thought my wife and I would do an easier hike this coming weekend by hiking up Mt Tom, Mt Field, and Mt Willey. We will do it as a loop with cars at Crawford Depot and the Willey House.

Head (wall) hunter my wife and I did the Madison/Adams loop several weeks ago and were treated to the best day weather wise in the northern presidentials in a while. There are many ways to the top, but my wife and I liked the Valley Way - Brookside - Watson Path going up, and the Airline going down. If you are interested, we posted a trip report in the trip report section on this page. It might give you some suggestions. Either way, it is a great hike.

Here are some pics from our hike. Great weather, but very crowded (as expected). Anyone else get out?

Yea, I took Friday off and had my girlfriend give me a ride to Jonesville, Vt, (the north side of Camel's Hump) Friday morning so I could hike south over Camel's Hump, Mt. Ellen, and Mt. Abraham (30 mi). She picked me up at Lincoln Gap on Monday morning. Once the rain cleared out Saturday the views were great. I'll get the photos developed and put it in as a Trip Report.

On Sunday my wife and I and a friend hiked Mt Tom, Mt Field, and Mt Willey as planned. In the morning the clouds we low but burned off my 10:00am. The hike was fun and we only ran into 5 or 6 groups the whole day. The lookout from Mt Willey was by far the best with an unobstructed view of Mt Washington and the Northern and Southern presidentials. It was indeed one great day to hike. I'm glad we chose that hike and not the Presidential ridge or the Franconia ridge for I suspect that it must have been like Disney Land on discount day.

RJ, I ended up taking your advice on the trail choices up Mt. Madison. I wanted to take the King Ravine Trail, but I had been sick all week and still wasn't feeling 100% so I decided not to over do it. I got a later start than I had planned to on Saturday morning and I began my hike at 9am. I passed an older couple 5 minutes in, and passed a group of 10 girls after about an hour who had spent the night camping in the thunderstorm. After that I didn't see another person until I got to Madison Hut. I took Valley Way to Brookside to Watson Path and when I got to treeline, the big yellow warning sign actually startled me because it was raining and dimly lit in the woods so I wasn't expecting anything so bright. When I stepped out into the open the wind tried to shove me back in. At the hut they had it posted at 60mph sustained, but it sure felt harder on the summit cone. At times I was barely able to see the next cairn, but I made sure I could always see one before I went on. At one point I found a sport sandal on the trail and I thought, why didn't the person who lost this just bend down and pick it up? Then I started to worry that someone might be lost up there, but if they were more than 50 feet away from me I would never see them. Anyway, I reached the top of Mt. Madison somewhere between 12 and 1pm, and not a single person was up there with me. Therefore, no pictures. :smile: I spent an hour and a half inside the Madison Hut, eating soup and drinking hot chocolate, but I just couldn't warm up, so instead of climbing Mt. Adams as planned, I just headed down. Wouldn't you know it, 20 minutes down from the hut, the sun came out. I headed down what I thought was Airline, but it turned out to be Valley Way, and then near the bottom I took Falls View or Falls Way or something, I can't remember the name, back to the Appalachia parking lot. All in all, it was a good hike. No views or good pictures, but I liked the trails and hiking in those conditions was a first for me. Next time I'll go up through the ravine though. Thanks to everyone who offered trail suggestions for my little trip. There were others I will definately try next time.

WOw, people had some good weekends...
Woodchuck, Camel's Hump is great, eh?

I returned late friday night from a week of beachcombing and whale watching in Cape Cod, and spent most of the long weekend doing laundry, putting away gear, etc..

Managed to get out to a local "small hill" on monday. Bad bad move..... Sooooooo many people, worse than the mall on Boxing Day.

I couldn't take it. We hike less than 15 minutes before deciding to turn back. The constant stream of people in both directions just destroyed the experience.

So... we went off for beer and a great meal at an Ethiopian restaurant instead. Mmmmm.