by John Kumiski
The North Woods blazed with color- crimson, orange, gold, emerald. Leaves swished, rustled, and crunched under our boots with every step we took. Autumn had arrived in New Hampshire's White Mountains, and we were taking advantage of it by hiking along breathtaking mountain trails.
The Plan
Most of us have old stomping grounds, places we loved to visit when we were younger. Time and circumstance often prevent us from visiting those places very often any more. Where are yours?
New Hampshire's White Mountains remain one of my own favorite old stomping grounds. With the exception of a couple of short day hikes I hadn't gotten up there in over twenty years. I wanted to visit again, and share their special beauty with my sons.
Maxx and Alex, ages 15 and 13 respectively, had a week off from school last October, and we used this time to visit the White Mountains. Our intention was to car camp for three nights and do three separate day hikes of increasing difficulty. Then we would do a four day, three night backpacking trip through the magnificent backcountry of the White Mountains, something the boys had never done. Plans are subject to change, though.
MountWillard
My first trip to the Whites was with some college friends, almost thirty years ago. The first real hike I ever took was with them up a small but spectacular Mount Willard, located in Crawford Notch. My boys and I would start our hiking here on this trip as well.
Things change. The Appalachian Mountain Club has built a welcome center at the foot of Mount Willard. What used to be a fairly unused trailhead area was crawling with tourists from all over the world when we got there. But the hike up the mountain was still an easy 45 minute walk, and when we arrived at the top, well! It didn't seem like anyone should be able to get such a glorious view with such little effort.
From the top of the sheer cliffs of Mount Willard you can look south, straight down Crawford Notch, the valley of the Saco River. To the west are the higher peaks of the Willey Range. To the east are the much higher peaks of the southern Presidential Range, visible all the way to Mount Washington, at 6,288 feet the highest peak in the northeast and site of some of this continent's worst weather. Alex said, "This is the most incredible view I've ever seen!"
While we were admiring that view and sunning ourselves in the warm, golden New England sunshine, an airplane flew towards us, following the valley of the Saco River. The thing is we were looking down on the plane. With a big smile on his face Maxx said, "It is really cool standing here and looking down on an airplane." We would see many other "cool" things during the week.
MountOsceola
They may be old stomping grounds, but there were many places in the White Mountains I had never visited. The next day I planned to visit what for all of us would be new territory, the 4340 foot peak of Mount Osceola.
The trailhead was along the Kancamagus Highway, a small parking area with a small sign reading, "Greeley Pond Trail." The one and a half mile walk up to the Greeley Ponds was lovely. Broken sunlight filtered through branches covered with leaves of red and gold. The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue. Expert trail crews had spent plenty of time on the trail, which was in excellent condition. The gentle gradient warmed us up for what would prove to be a long, tough, and steep hike once we reached the Osceola Trail.
We reached that trail junction in about 30 minutes, taking a break to snack and admire our surroundings. Water bottles were filled. A last check was made of our map.
The 1976 edition of the Appalachian Mountain Club's White Mountain Guide has this to say about the trail I chose: "When ascending Mt. Osceola from the Greeley Ponds Trail, considerable extra time should be allowed, for the climb to East Peak is unusually steep. It should be noted that the East Peak to Greeley Ponds section of the trail is very steep and rocky, and can be dangerous in wet weather." The day was young, the weather perfect. We were primed and ready, so off we went.
The trail got steep quickly. Giant chunks of granite formed a staircase-like arrangement of the lower portion of the trail, but more and more ledges appeared the higher we climbed. All three of us could feel and hear the pounding of our hearts in our ears as we fought gravity, pushing ourselves up the side of the mountain.
Maxx was in the lead. "Dad!" he called back. "The trail splits here. One side is really steep. The other goes straight up. Which one should we take?"
We opted for straight up. My boys grew up in very flat Florida, and were constantly amazed that while only a few feet separated them horizontally, as much as 20 or 30 feet might separate them vertically. It's a three-dimensional world in the mountains, boys!
I made a mental note that our previously perfect weather looked more ominous now. Stratus clouds were rolling in and they were moving quickly, getting thicker. I had spent a lot of time in these hills when I was younger, enough to know that approaching clouds almost always mean rain is coming. I was glad we had put our rain gear in our day packs.
We soon reached East Peak. The main summit of the mountain was still another mile or so, down a saddle and back up again. The steep and strenuous climb of the previous mile had beaten Alex badly enough that he didn't care if he got to the main summit or not, so Maxx and I left him there on East Peak (with strict instructions to stay put) and raced, literally running a good part of the time, another mile to the summit of Mount Osceola.
A cheerless gray sky and chill wind greeted us upon our arrival. Somber mountain peaks were reaching for the clouds in every direction, and dark clouds were reaching back. Rain could be seen falling to the north and east. Wanting to beat the obviously approaching weather we only lingered a few moments, then ran most of the way back to East Peak, and our third partner.
East Peak has a wooded summit and we wanted lunch with a view, so we began our descent and stopped at the first opening to which we came to procure some sustenance from our packs. Gouda cheese, crackers, dried fruit, and water never, ever, never taste as good as they do on a mountain ledge when you've been hiking hard all morning.
As we cleaned up our crumbs it began to drizzle. We finished our hike wearing our Frogg Toggs, and it was raining- that nasty, bone-chilling, raw, White Mountain I-can-see-my-breath kind of rain when we got back to our vehicle. Thank God for the rain suits!
An Overnight Hike
Our backpacks weighed too much. Backpacks always weigh too much at the start of a hike, and ours were certainly no exception. We still shouldered them and started off down the Wilderness Trail, the east branch of the Pemigewassett River singing to us as our feet rhythmically crunched leaves.
The walk was simply magical. It was yet another glorious New England autumn morning. The Wilderness Trail runs straight along an old railroad bed. It was like walking down a long, long aisle in a cathedral made up of trees, surrounded by brilliant hues. Color was above and to the sides of us on the trees, below us on the ground, and gently falling through the cool, crisp air as the breeze tenderly shook leaves from their branches. The Pemi gurgled and hummed in its rocky bed as it fell towards the sea. We were in high spirits, anticipating a very special hike in spite of the weight of our packs.
Our plan included walking five miles to the Bondcliff Trail junction the first day, five miles over Mount Bond to the Guyot Shelter the second day, another five miles over Mount Guyot and South Twin Mountain the third day, and back to the trailhead, about seven miles on the last day. I had been on this hike three times previously and it remains one of my favorite hikes anywhere.
On one particularly memorable excursion my companions and I left Guyot Shelter early one morning, hiking through fog. When we reached the top of Mount Guyot we also got above the fog, actually a thick layer of clouds. We could see over the puffy white cotton balls seemingly forever, the sun shining brilliantly onto mountain peaks poking up through the clouds in every direction. I have kicked myself many times through the years for not carrying a camera that trip.
I was hoping (unrealistically, I knew) that we might see something like that on this trip. I wouldn't be making the mistake of not having a camera this time.
The plan for our current trip did not include rain. Yet by the time we reached our first day's goal, stratus clouds were rolling in. A ring around the sun foretold wet weather.
I woke the next morning to raindrops pounding my tent, which was leaking, little drops falling inside at various locations. The boys had set up their tent in a shallow hollow, invisible when full of leaves, and their tent had standing puddles inside. My sleeping bag was damp. Theirs were soaked.
With continuing rain, cold windy air, wet sleeping gear, and an elevation increase of over 3000 feet coming up, it didn't take much consideration to conclude that continuing was impossible. It was a chilly and wet hike back to the trail head and our vehicle.
Making Lemonade
We were disappointed that we didn't get to take the through hike we had so anticipated. Even so, we had a wonderful time and a pair of outstanding hikes. The White Mountains remain, and leaving our plan unfinished gives us excellent motivation to return. We all want to do exactly that, so next autumn may just find us again on the trail of White Mountain magic.
Getting There
Two main airports service the White Mountain region. Boston's Logan is an obvious choice. The drive from the airport up I-93 to the western side of the White Mountain region will take four to five hours, depending on Boston traffic.
Perhaps a better destination is the airport in Manchester, NH. Also located convenient to I-93, landing here will cut your drive time in half.
Campgrounds
There are a lot of campgrounds here, both public and private. Most of the area discussed in the piece occurs within the White Mountain National Forest. The WMNF administers a number of roadside campsites. Their phone number is 877.444.6777. The website URL is a bear: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/white/recreation/index.html. I just typed in White Mountain National Forest of my search engine and it came up number one.
From their website, "The White Mountains provides a variety of developed camping opportunities in 23 campgrounds scattered around the Forest. They range in size from seven to 176 sites. Some accept reservations, others are first-come, first-served. Some provide running water and flush toilets, others are more on the rustic side.” For more information visit the website.
There are also a wide variety of private sites. The first three nights we were there we stayed at the Glen Ellis Campground, a wonderful property and facility at the intersection of NH 16 and 302 in Glen, which I recommend without reservation. Although we stayed in backpacking tents, they certainly had plenty of RV's there too, with lots of room for everybody. Their phone number is 603.383.4567.
Backcountry campsites are administered by either the WMNF or the Appalachian Mountain Club. In addition to the normal tentsites, the AMC has three sided shelters you can sleep in, and huts with bunks and food. Contact the AMC by telephone at 617.523.0636, or visit their website at www.outdoors.org
What to Bring
Weather is one fly in the ointment on any trip to the Whites. Mount Washington is widely advertised as having the worst weather in North America. The highest wind speed ever recorded on this planet was recorded there. It was blowing in excess of 200 MPH when the anemometer blew away. It can snow during any month of the year there.
People die from hypothermia in the Whites during all months of the year. Victims of hypothermia are usually unprepared for wet, clammy weather. If you hike into the mountains be sure to bring rain gear (we used Frogg Toggs very happily) and warm clothing like polypropylene jackets, hats, and gloves. A scarf is a good idea, and a down vest will keep a smile on your face during cold weather if you keep it dry.
The Appalachian Mountain Club website (www.outdoors.org) has lists of everything you need to make safe hikes in the Whites, and I highly recommend you visit the site. Remember, your pack is your survival kit, so a first aid kit, warm clothes, a compass and map (available from the AMC), matches, a small flashlight, and raingear should always be carried in addition to food and drink. If you have never been in the Whites the AMC White Mountain Guide is an indispensable reference to White Mountain trails, and is also available from the AMC.
If you plan wisely a safe trip into this very special region should be a snap.
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This article was written by John Kumiski of John Kumiski Outdoors and Travel. Contact him at his website www.johnkumiski.com or via email at john@spottedtail.com. Copyright 2007 John Kumiski.
John Kumiski 's most recent fishing guidebooks are How and Where to Catch Redfish in the Indian River Lagoon System (Argonaut Publishing Company), and Fishing Florida's Space Coast (Argonaut Publishing Company).
John Kumiski's newest book is Redfish on the Fly- A Comprehensive Guide.
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