What's gonna be your first post-winter hike?

[Stephen]

We hit upper 40's last week, and I'm dreaming about hitting the trails again. I'm not a winter hiker by any means, so late spring is my target for my next Whites hike.

I just found an e-mail that I sent to my hiking buddies last September after our last hike. Here's what I was thinking back then:

June: Mt. Techumseh via the Mt. Techumseh trail
July: Mt. Washington, via Ammonoosuc Ravine trail (or another appropriate trail)
August: Mt. Flume and Mt. Liberty (via Flume Slide trail, Franconia Ridge trail, and Liberty Spring trail)
September: 3 day 2 nights in to Owl's Head (this requires some decent planning, and we'll probably hit 2 other peaks in the process...)

What are you all thinking about for the summer?

-T

 

[riverc0il]

hey there the8re!

your list looks progressively challenging, that's usually the way i plan out my fair weather hikes (i too only hike during the no snow times, mostly because if i'm driving three hours to the whites during the winter, i'm doing it with my alpine ski gear!). flume slide to liberty is an especially excellent hike; i did that one last august. the long trudge to the slide is actually tougher than the slide itself (which is no picnic, but not as tough as i thought it would be).

any ways, i usually start off with some smaller 3k mountains to start the year. usually either monadnock, cardigan, or welch-dickey (all of which are fairly uncrowded (relative to summer) during april-may. they also melt the snow faster than the larger 4k peaks of the whites. i try to keep my eye on VFTT once april comes, and plan a trip once most of the snow is gone.

i think my first 2003 hike will be cardigan, followed by another 3k peak i've never hiked before (i'm open to suggestions for good 3k with a view that is relatively snow free sooner than most peaks). then perhaps onto hale once the snow melts up there. although, given the high amount of snow fall, cold temperatures, and no major mid-winter melt... i'm thinking the post-snow hiking season in the whites will start a little later than usual for me.

 

[Mike P.]

Post winter hike

I did not hike this winter after 1/1 because we are getting ready for baby # 2 due in four weeks. I'll likely not get out until after Mother's Day barring any late April business trips to upstate NY.

If in NY, will try & visit something in the Catskills or Taconic region on the way back. (Everett, Alander in Taconics or Westkill or Windham High Peak leading the choices) Probably will not get back to Whites until Father's Day weekend. (Friday afternoon & Saturday) hoping to do Moosilauke Friday from Ravine Lodge & something else on Saturday. Saturday will be an all day trip, undetermined yet but Northern Presi Traverse, Owl's Head or Cabot are leading possibilities. Hope to get to another peak or two in ADK High Peaks with Skylight & Gray or Algonquin & Iroquois leading possibilities.

It's been a couple of years since I've seen sunset on Monadnock so I'm overdue, & I do Lincoln & Lafayette every year so I need to fit those in, never been ther in Oct - Jan. (Have been Feb-June, Aug & Sept. with mulitple May & Sept. trips) I also want to do either great Gulf, Castle Ravine or Huntington. (all would be great, I'd be thrilled to do more than one, thrilled really to do one, Huntington's I've done 2x, others never.)

Wouls also like to see Goose Eye.

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Plans and ideas for this summer.

I hike year round, but I consider winter hiking and 3-seasons hiking to be two distinct activities.

Two years ago I hiked the Madison Gulf Trail with Dave Metsky, and last year I led an AMC trip up the Great Gulf Trail. This year I would like to continue exploring the headwalls of the Presidentials, doing some or all of the King Ravine, Castle Ravine and Six Husbands trails.

 

[Greg]

Congrats Mike on #2! :beer: We just had our first on 1/16, Abigail. She's awesome. Can't wait to get her on skis and in hiking boots.

Due to the home life, I haven't been out skiing much, and like riverc0il and the8re most of my hiking takes place once the snow has retreated (although I did recently get a pair of Red Feather snowshoes and would like to get into some winter "woods" hiking). Hope to ski Jiminy this Saturday and Killington next Friday.

I'm sure my first hike will either be up Bear (via Under Mountain) in CT or Race (via Race Brook Falls) in MA. Probably head up to the Riga area a few more times throughout the summer (typically do Alander, Bear a number of times, and maybe even an overnighter to hit Brace, Everett, etc...). Mike - we should try to get together this summer in the area...

As for the Whites, I hope I can escape from fatherly duties for at least one 2-nighter. Probably basecamp it - either in the Pemi or Dry River, possibly the Great Gulf. Haven't decided on any particular peaks yet. Hope to continue the college friend Labor Day cooler camping tradition which will most likely include an above treeline dayhike.

 

[Mike P.]

Thanks Greg & Congratulations. I'll have to keep you posted on the Father's Day weekend activities. (okay they were never just for Dad's any way - i don't need ties or shirts but time to hike so typically I head up to NH Friday afternoon do something before sunset & then a long hike Saturday being home for actual Father's Day.)

Typically for Taconic area in non-winter I'll either go after work from Hartford for late evening short hikes or stop by after upstate NY business trips. (getting there from I-90 not too bad)

If I'm looking for a 1/2 day of hiking (or so) so i can do afternoon activities in summer, I'll typically head to Monadnock, Wachusetts or southern Whites. (Excuse for getting up Monadnock real early before crowds, seen sunrise over Boston from Wachusetts & back in CT working by 10:00 & have ben up Osceola & powerwashing teh house by 3:00 before.)

 

[pedxing]

Congrats to the two new Dads!

I'll keep on hiking as winter goes away. I just finished a four night trip to Maine... mostly barebooting and a little snowshoeing around the base of Katahdin (up and around Chimney Pond, Roaring Brook and BlueBerry Ledges). I'm not sure what will be the first hike in non-winter conditions (it kind of depends on the New England weather).

I and four others have two nights reserved at Katahdin Stream campground in late May. It would be great to be able to try for Katahdin then, but chances are trails to Katahdin will be closed.

The one big hike I'd like to get in this summer would be a hike on the AT from Grafton notch southwards across the White Mountains. I'd love to have enough time to make this my longest backpacking trip ever (the longest so far is Monson - Grafton notch).

 

[Mike P.]

To clarify my last post, that is up & down Osceola by 10:00 and then home in CT & powerwahsing the house by 3:00 PM.. (had to leave CT at 3:00 AM to get to Osceola by 6:30 AM but Gary T. (from AMC bbs) & IO saw no one on way up, shared summit with a guy & dog who left so we had it for 20 minutes by ourselves, a tough thing to say on an August Saturday. Last June on a Friday afternoon I started at 4:00 PM passed a few people on the way down & again had summit solo, Afternoons, early starts & Weekdays are the way to having very quiet White Mountain days.

Good luck pedexing on your trip this summer, sounds great. I need to spend some time north of Route 2 myself. I've been up Old Speck but besides the trails to the ME 4K's I have not spent enough time in ME except for BSP. (Wait, I'm not sure you can spend enough time in BSP!

 

[Stephen]

Anyone know when the snow clears from Kearsarge... that looked like another good spring hike...

-T

 

[Mike P.]

Unsue about Kearsarge, never been. I suspect not much sooner than the shorter whites, especially ones like Welch & Dickey. Should be about the same time as Monadnock depending on the track of late season storms. & temps. If those late season storms are in temps of 34 or 35 in Keene area, Kearsarge could get a lot of snow while Mondanock gets rain or ice.

Ice will be a concern on Monadnock in April as it appears snow will linger on then too.

 

[pedxing]

There are no guarantees for Kearsage in April. When I was living in Concord, NH my kids went with an Audobon group hike to Kearsage during an April Spring break and had to turn back because of the ice and snow. Of course, this was for a group of kids (mostly 10 & 11) in an organized outing.

One hike I've used to get the rust out in early spring is the two Pack Monadnoc peaks at the end end of the WacPac trail - if you head out from the parking lot at Miller State Park over the peaks to the end of the trail, you get a little over 10 miles round trip .

 

[pedxing]

Mike: Maine is great... and the hostels are wonderful, with good shuttles, and easy to afford if you get a little trail weary (or need to wash off a pound or two of dirt in a hot shower). Like you I am pretty intoxicated with Baxter State Park, especially after my first winter trip there. I guess being a winter newbie, I am still caught up in the thrill of seeing another face to old familiar places.

My main summer goal has crystalized a little: I want to hike from Grafton Notch to Norwich Vt. - about 177 miles. If I can get two weeks off to do it - It'll almost make my summer (it just might, if I my 16 y/o will go with me). The feeling I get on the trail when I am a handful of days into a hike and still have a handful to go is enough to keep me smiling for a long time.

 

[TenPeaks]

I've got a rather aggressive hiking schedule this year and I'm not sure I'll have time to do all the hikes I want. Last year my wife and I finished the NH 48 so now we'll be making a few trips to Maine to nock off some more NE 4,000 footers. We already completed Vermont. I also want to return to some of my favorite NH peaks and help a friend of mine with his list at the same time. I've also got to find some time to get a couple of backpacking trips in this year, but haven't decided on where to go yet. See you all on the trails!

 

[RJ]

I've had two aborted winter overnights this year, so I'm looking forward to my first overnight in spring. If all goes according to schedule, a friend and I will be doing the Bonds during the weekend of Good Friday.

I also have a four-day three-night Pemi loop trip planned during my June Vacation. I will also be doing an overnight to 13 falls with my wife and sister sometime in mid-June.

My wife and I recently adopted part of the Davis Path and will be doing trail maintenance three times this year, and given the section we are maintaining, they will have to be overnight trips.

The rest of the season I am open to suggestions.

P.S. Tenpeaks, are you going to the 4,000 footers awards dinner the 12th of April?

 

[MtnMagic]

During the extra snow this Spring, I'm heading out to see the waterfalls at high water during the run-off. No leaves to obscure all the mountain views. I know that brook crossing w/o a bridge can not be crossed, but many of the Whites best 100 waterfalls can be visited easily. Few, if any hikers will be on the trails of these spectacular falls. Who wants to go and when?!