Day hike advice for the Whites - March 7th

[pedxing]

While I'm here - I have a question.

I'm going to meet a friend in the White Mountains for a day hike tomorrow. I probably won't be able to hit a trail head until 9 or even 9:30. He wants to tackle an above treeline peak and has been talking about some of the "easier" Presidentials such as Jefferson, Eisenhauer, or Pierce/Clinton. Has anyone been out to these summitts recently? What do you think the trails and summitts will be like tomorrow? Any tips or alternate suggestions?

 

[Mike P.]

Since you have received some replies on AMC's page also but mention other options I'll try naming some choices:

1) Pierce
2) Jackson (we have concluded Jackson not Jefferson was intent as Jefferson in winter is considered one of the hardest with jefferson Notch road closed.)
3.) Liberty
4.) Moriah
5.) Chocurua
6.) Crawford Dome (okay last two not above treeline but very bare tops)
7.) Monadnock (don't know where you will be coming from, I love this peak from CT easier to get to, plays liek bigger peaks in smaller scale)
8.) Tom, across the street from Pierce less wooded than guidebook says thanks to blowdown
9.) Field Wooded top with enough snow to see over 8 foot trees (if fast can be combined with 8)
10) Martha Okay it's not above treeline but on clear day with 100 MPH winds on Presidentials this is great place to go & get pictures of Presidentials when standing on them is ill advised.

 

[pedxing]

Mike: thanks for your thought and ideas. As it turned out, my friend had the beginings of a nasty cold but decided to give it a shot anyway - with the understanding that he might not be up for completing the hike. He also decided to try Flume via Osseo. It was a great day and a fun hike. I broke trail since I wanted to make it a bit easier for him. No one had been down the trail since the last significant snow fall.

We got up pretty near the peak (he'd been there before), but decided to turn back. He wasn't doing well. We were having a very hard time finding the trail... and I was sinking several feet into the snow. It seemed that at least four feet of loose powder had fallen since anyone had been through. Looking at the time, it seemed that there would be no margin of error for the return if we pushed on to summitt.

I was still happy with the hike. I got to try doing things differently than I had earlier in the winter. Somethings worked, others didn't. Going to a smaller snowshoe was a definite minus once I was deep into fresh powder.

The key thing is that we had fun - and I had a few new things tothink about. I'm planning on getting back out within the next week (its school vacation where I teach) - so I'll have a chance to make use of your ideas in planning my trip.

 

[RJ]

Hi pedxing:

I'm still nursing my cold and feel like death warmed over at the moment as I sit at my desk at work. In retrospect, I believe we both made the correct decision to turn around given the time and the lack of trail markings. There have been too many stories as of late about people getting lost and having to be rescued, so I feel good about our decision.

I am curious, however, if those two guys who were behind us ever made the summit? Given that they were fully equipped for an overnight, and they were so close to the summit, they had the time to look around for the trail, while we had to hike out.

I will keep an eye out for any trip reports.

 

[pedxing]

Yikes RJ! I'm sorry that you're still under the weather

I'm guessing that the guys who came up after us got to the top. They had plenty of time. We broke the trail quite nicely for them - up until where we turned back. I kind of wished I could have been around the next day to take another stab.

The fact that you are still feeling poorly is another reason not to have risked having to either hike out with headlamps - or do an emergency bivy. I had a Hilleberg windsack and a reflective emergency bag - and I think you were well equipped too, so we could have stayed the night if needed. But reaching the peak wasn't important enough to push it - especially with people expecting to hear from us in the evening. As we saw from our arrival time back at the trailhead (about 5PM)... pushing for the peak would have left us with no margin for error for return in daylight.

I'll be in the Whites very soon. I loved snowshoeing around in that deep powder - and hope I find some more soon.

 

[Mike P.]

Hope you feel better RJ Question for either of you. Did you guys get far enough Osseo to check out the view towards the Bonds?

 

[pedxing]

Yep! The Bonds were spectacular - most of the day, the sky was incredibly clear. It was an incredibly deep blue and the views were unbelievable (which made the idea of reaching the summitt feel even more tantalizing). It was this winter newbie's first view of the Pemi in that season.

 

[pedxing]

I followed up this w/e by hiking the Osceolas with my son. The path from the Kanc was pretty well broken in... everything was much easier than Osseo to Flume, but breaking trail in deep powder is much more fun.

It was a warm day and we were able to hang around the the main peak for about an hour.

 

[Mike P.]

Sounds like a great day. I've done East peak in Winter & Fall & the Main peak in every season but winter. The main peak is one of my favorites in that area. (The East Peak trip was the first one I did a group of people from the AMC's bulletin boards. It turned out real well & have repeatedly since 2000 hiked several times with various participants of that hike - & some new people too. - & consider them as friends.)