Lafayette to Madison hike

[hikingslut]

Hi everyone,

I'd first like to thank everyone for the advice I've been given over the past few years. It's greatly appreciated.
I'm trying to plan a solo hike from Lafayette to Madison this summer. I've been on long weekend hikes before, but none of this length, both in terms of time and distance. Was planning on taking about 5 days to do the hike. In the Pemi I was planning on using the tentsites (13 falls, Guyout and Ethan Pond)...once I get to the Presidentials - Nauman and Hermit Lake) and exploring the areas without the weight of my pack.
Do you think this is reasonable and any suggestions on packing, meals, etc? For meals I've typically packed mac and cheese and peanut M&Ms...knowing full well that the nutritional element is totally lacking.

Thanks as always,

andy

 

[Beetlenut]

For a hike of that length, I go freeze-dryed. Bring about twice what you think you'll need. The tent sites are first come - first served, so plan accordingly. Your biggest concern will be reliable water.

 

[skibum9995]

Using the campsites is a good idea, and a much cheaper alternative to the huts. Some of the sites you listed, like 13 Falls and Hermit Lake, are a pretty good drop off their ridges, making for a end of day decent that you will have to climb back up in the morning. This is assuming you are planning on roughly following the AT. Heres a quick itinerary for a 5 day trip, though you'll probably need to refine this so you get what you want out of the trip.

Day 1 - Franconia Notch to Garfield Ridge Campsite
Day 2 - Garfield to Guyot Campsite, grab a spot and then continue on to check out the Bonds, don't miss sunset from West Bond
Day 3 - Guyot to Nauman, a few different ways to get there depending on what you want
Day 4 - Nauman to one of the RMC sites in the northern Presidentials
Day 5 - Head out in any number of directions, most likely down to Rt 2 or Pinkham Notch, depending on how long you want your last day to be.

For food I usually take pop tarts, or instant oatmeal if I don't plan to get moving that quickly in the morning. Lunch is peanut butter on tortillas with nuts and M&Ms to snack on throughout the day. For dinner I eat a couple packages of Ramen noodles. I crunch them up and put them in ziplock bags before the trip and then just boil water and dump it into the bag and seal while the noodles cook. Mix the flavor packet in and eat right out of the bag, no cleanup. Spam singles also make a great alternative to peanut butter to go with the tortillas and is also good chopped up in mac & cheese.

Good luck and have a fun trip.

 

[hikingslut]

Thanks everyone...I appreciate your advice.

 

[Mike P.]

If possible look a being at Guyot & Nauman during teh week & not on weekends. Early summer before thru hikers get to the Whites would be good too.

 

[MichaelJ]

Peanut M&M's aren't as bad as you might think; the nuts are a good protein source and your muscles will appreciate the quick sugar.

If I'm not taking off-the-shelf freeze dry (like Mountain House) I like to take Ichiban noodles (similar to Ramen, no cup) and after cooking them do one of two things:

If the weather is chilly or damp, I'll have them in enough water to be soup, and add the flavor packet (danger: high sodium and msg) along with chunks of chicken from a little tin can (same grocery store section as the tuna), baby carrots, and dehydrated peas or lentils.

When the weather is warmer and hot soup isn't on my mind, I'll pour off the water (in an appropriate location away from shelter) then throw in a package of flavored tuna and cut up chunks of hard cheese (like gruyer).

During the hike, more cheese, crackers, hummus (will last two full days if you keep it out of the sun and deep in your pack), pita bread, chocolate, Trader Joe's turkey jerky. Breakfast is instant oatmeal with raisins and coffee! Note that one should pack out one's coffee grinds.

I always take some Emergen'C packets not only for the electrolytes but because by day 2 I hate plain water. A packet takes the flavor edge off during the day and makes for a nice mug at night. A few tea bags come along with me, too, for the evening - decaf.

 

[MichaelJ]

FYI: in order to camp at Hermit Lake, you must go to Pinkham first and buy a ticket - this is how they manage first-come-first-served there. So if you're coming up the Crawford Path from Nauman, it would be a major detour. You should try to target one of the RMC facilities: Grey Knob, Crag Camp, The Perch, or the Log Cabin. All of those would be "on the way" to Madison.

There's a link in Skibum's post, above.

 

[pedxing]

This should be a nice hike, especially if you can get to the tent sites on time. On weekends this is an almost certain problem. With that caveat, this is a great trip and Skibum offers a workable itinerary. I'm not a very fast hiker and during a backpack of the NH AT, I went from the Carter Hut to Pinkham and along the AT to Rt. 93 in about 4 1/2 days. You can shorten your trip by heading up the Old Bridle Path to Lafayette or get a better Franconia Ridge experience by following the AT up to the ridge near Liberty. A compromise would be taking the falling Waters. Going out to Rt and Appalachia at the end will also shorten your trip via alternatives. If the weather is right and your pace is working - the Bonds are a great detour as are many of the Presidential peaks.

In choosing your foods, consider the calories per ounce. You will also have chances to pick up some food at the huts and the Mt. Washington Observatory. The huts often have left over baked goods with a cheap help yourself deal.

When I solo, I don't bother cooking. Nuts, cheese, dry salami, pack worthy bread loaves are some of my staples. It's a lot cheaper for me to get some really good italian dry salamis than it is to buy freeze dried foods and the calories per ounce is better, too.

If you cook, tortellini is great!. It's at least as weight efficient as mac and cheese, but easier to cook and clean up after. Good grated parmesan, pepper and extra virgin olive oil make this an easy and truly delicious meal (I grate the parmesan and add salt and pepper before leaving and combine in a small zip lock bag) . I usually go to the the instant rice and noodle meal sections of the supermarket when I am planning to cook on a backpack trip and look for items offering well over 100 calories/ounce. When packages call for adding butter, I take butter flavored oil (usually sold for popcorn) or just use the extra virgin olive oil.

 

[pedxing]

I agree with Beetlenut on being aware of your water needs, especially if it has been dry for a few days. The huts are a good place to fill up and the springs near tent sites. I disagree about taking freeze dried stuff and taking twice what you thijnk you need.

Personally, I don't think the freeze dried stuff is worth the money. It does reconstitute faster than stuff like macaroni and cheese - but you can put the supermarket stuff in while the water is heating up - you just have to check it for doneness since the timing only works if you wait until the water is boiled. Especially when you consider the packaging that you will have to pack out, there are more weight efficient options (including ramens and mack and cheese).

For this stretch, the ability to purchase snacks at the huts and a meal at the observatory gives you the ability to make up for any miscalculation of your food needs. I'd take one extra day's worth of food and some cash and feel perfectly secure about my food supply..