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thaller1

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Any suggestions for a newbie? I'm in Maine... I'm thinking something in the 4-6 mile range...


I'm in pretty good shape so I'm up for a little challenge..

thanks!
 

thetrailboss

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thaller1 said:
Any suggestions for a newbie? I'm in Maine... I'm thinking something in the 4-6 mile range...


I'm in pretty good shape so I'm up for a little challenge..

thanks!

Lots of good options. Mount Jackson and Webster in Crawford Notch is a good spin. Monadnock in Southern NH is also good. Major on Winnepasaukee....another good one. Tecumseh from WV is easy too.
 

Greg

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If you're up for heading over to the Presidentials, I always recommend an up and back to Eisenhower via Edmund's Path as a great "newbie" hike. If the weather is nice, you can explore further up the Crawford Path to either Monroe or the hut.
 

thetrailboss

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Eisenhower is a great hike and one that will really make you salivate for more hiking.
 

pizza

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thetrailboss said:
I'd probably work my way up to Katadin considering its remote location and that most hikes up it require an overnight stay.

Ok, hit up your neighboring state's highpoint via the TRT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_(New_Hampshire)

Then come back to Katahdin. Then join the highpointer's club, and read your name in pizza's "milestones" column in the quarterly newsletter. Then do the other 48 state highpoints.

Then thank your alpinezone friends.
 

thetrailboss

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pizza said:
Ok, hit up your neighboring state's highpoint via the TRT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_(New_Hampshire)

Then come back to Katahdin. Then join the highpointer's club, and read your name in pizza's "milestones" column in the quarterly newsletter. Then do the other 48 state highpoints.

Then thank your alpinezone friends.

Certainly something to work up to! :beer:

Mt. Washington, however, is not a good hike for a beginner hiker given the weather conditions, elevation, and distances. It is not a hike to take lightly. Certainly one to do though! :D
 

thaller1

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thetrailboss said:
Certainly something to work up to! :beer:

Mt. Washington, however, is not a good hike for a beginner hiker given the weather conditions, elevation, and distances. It is not a hike to take lightly. Certainly one to do though! :D


Yeah, that's the goal! I'd love to do the overnight ..maybe early Fall.. is that a good time?
 

pizza

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thetrailboss said:
Certainly something to work up to! :beer:

Mt. Washington, however, is not a good hike for a beginner hiker given the weather conditions, elevation, and distances. It is not a hike to take lightly. Certainly one to do though! :D


hmm.. maybe you're right - he should start small.
P6200283.jpg


The logbook at this highpoint has some great entries.
P6200306.jpg
 

thetrailboss

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thaller1 said:
Yeah, that's the goal! I'd love to do the overnight ..maybe early Fall.. is that a good time?

I'd probably wait until I had some other peaks under my belt before hitting Washington if I were you. Some good experience and gear are also needed. I did it in June 2000--it was 85 F at the base and 55 F with sideways rain, fog, and 80 mph winds at the summit. :eek: Early Fall may work out, but be wary of changes in weather.

I have a lot of experience hiking in the Whites and the 4000 footers. I love planning and poring over maps of the region as well....feel free to PM me for advice about treks and mountains to climb.

:beer:
 

zook

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Katahdin is so worth it! Not an easy hike, but Knife Edge simply rocks. I did both Mt. Washington and Katahdin last year and was very lucky with the weather on both hikes. Now I'm thinking about completing all NE 5,000 footers - already have two, so what's other 8 ;) After that I'll see what's next ;)

Thaller: I went last year for the Labor Day weekend. The whole park is great. I'm definitelly going back there again, this time for other hikes as well (i.e. Doubletop). I think starting with August you don't risk being bitten by the black flies - which improves the experience. Weather is the main factor. We were lucky - it was cold, very cloudy and windy in the morning, but it cleared out in the afternoon. It rained all week before, though.

c644.jpg


What a nice drop! :
4166.jpg
 

thetrailboss

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zook said:
Katahdin is so worth it! Not an easy hike, but Knife Edge simply rocks.

I agree it is worth it. But one would appreciate it and be more comfortable doing it after some experience and other hikes first...that is my point.
 

zook

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Definitelly agree with you. As I said, I was lucky with the weather and it is the main factor. Not only for the comfort but also for the safety.

Starting with some shorter hikes in your area is the right way to go. Get to know your abilities before you go for the big ones. Know when to turn back.

If you have such option it's good to have couple of days to choose from in case it rains.
 

ChileMass

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If you're in Maine - check out Tumbledown Mt out in Weld (medium difficulty) and Evans Notch at the eastern edge of the White Mt National Forest (WMNF). Lots of good stuff in there. too. Good starter terrain before you take on Katahdin or Washington.
 

Mike P.

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Thaller1, welcome to the hiking pages of AZ,

Trailboss, Greg & Zook have given you some good advise & I'll try & give you some too.

Where in ME are you located? If in the Portland area, many of NH's peaks are easier to get to than many of the ME peaks.

In summer, you don't need to much in the way of gear if you watch the ski, weather reports & are willing to turn back when it looks like bad weather is heading your way.

Maps & guidebooks are good to have as it's hard to get detailed route info just from the WWW.

There are many worthwhile trips with great views that are not 4,000 foot peaks & some 4,000 foot peaks that would be worth skipping unless you want to become a peakbagger.

Here are some to consider to get your feet wet:

Chocorua 3,475 feet, bare top, very popular I'd try to go weekday or real early on weekends.

Monadnock 3,165 see notes on Chocorua

Osceola from Tripoli Road, 4,340 feet moderate to easy grades, great views
Jackson - 4,052 Ft. trailboss mentioned this one, can head to Mizpah Hut & over Pierce if feelling good, Jackson has great views too
Eisenhower - 4,761 Ft. Greg mentioned via Emands Path, only Pierce in Presidentials may be easier.
Pierce - 4,312 Ft. travel America's oldest continously used Foot Path, the Crawford Path to the lowest of the Presidentials
Middle & North Sugarloaf 2,539 & 2,310 feet, maybe 4 miles RT, bare ledges on top provide great views of the Presidentials & Willey Range

In ME, some of the smaller peaks in Baxter State Park are very nice & have great views. It's hard to think of beiang in Baxter & not doing Katahdin though. South Turner, The Owl & Doubletop all have great views. Acadia is also very nice.

When you're ready for Mount Washington, while seeing the glacial cirque of Tuckerman Ravine is very nice, it's probably my least favorite way up Washington, the lower trail is a wide rocky tractor road, it's the most crowded way up & once above the bowl the trail follows a route over rocks that offer poor footing at best. (The Presidentials, especially Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Washington & Monroe are all rocks but some trails provide better footing)

While a bit longer, I'd recommend the Ammonoosuc, Crawford, Gulfside, Jewell loop. It's more out in the open so good weather is important but footing is better, the amount of time above treeline is greater, you'll see less people on the trail (it's Mount Washington, you will still see plenty of people) you get to re-fill your water at the Lake of The Clouds hut & if your feeling ambitious, Mt. Monroe can be added for just an extra 3/4 of a mile or so round trip.

Pizza, which way up Katahdin do you recommend? I need to get back there, it's been almost nine years since I was there & 14 this holiday weekend since my first. I like your avatar, how did hike up Mitchell? I thought the trail up from the South Toe River Road was pretty easy compared to the trails in NH.
 

pizza

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Mike P. said:
Pizza, which way up Katahdin do you recommend? I need to get back there, it's been almost nine years since I was there & 14 this holiday weekend since my first. I like your avatar, how did hike up Mitchell? I thought the trail up from the South Toe River Road was pretty easy compared to the trails in NH.

When I do Katahdin (haven't done it yet), I'd definitely like to experience the knife edge - capture the full experience of the mountain.

I drove up Mitchell. It was included on a 40-hour 2400 mile driving marathon *without sleep* home from Dallas Texas to NYC (business trip.) We picked up four state highpoints on the way back - Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee, and North Carolina. On the way to Texas, we got Mississippi and Arkansas.

You can read about all my crazy trips on my highpointing web site: http://turzman.com/projects/highpoints/
 

Greg

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pizza said:
When I do Katahdin (haven't done it yet), I'd definitely like to experience the knife edge - capture the full experience of the mountain.
I'm just curious. If you've never done it, why would you recommend it to someone looking for "newbie" hikes?
 

pizza

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Greg said:
I'm just curious. If you've never done it, why would you recommend it to someone looking for "newbie" hikes?

I've read enough trip reports, from beginners and experienced alike, to know that it's worthwhile..

but that's not the reason I recommended. I recommended it because it's his state's highpoint.
had he been writing from alaska, I would have recommended denali, just for fun.
 
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