Re: [at-l] About White Lies

>From: Gary Ticknor <garyticknor@starpower.net>
>Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 18:31:34 -0500
>
>...
>1. What is the best time to do the Whites? Ms Gorp told me late July.
>What do others think? Mara? And especially, what conditions could I
>expect next Labor Day, in early September? Will I need fleece in
>September?

Late July/early August will get you the warmest weather with the least black 
flies.  As you get later than that, you get cooler nights.  You'll need 
fleece year round in the Whites.  Even on hot summer days, I carry hat and 
gloves in the Whites.  The weather is just too changable to plan on only 
warm weather.

>2. North to South or South to North? Why?

Either direction is fantastic though I would hate to go southbound down 
Wildcat.  Ugh!

>3. How far? 6 easy days would be Franconia Notch to Gorham, say 75
>miles.

That would not be six easy days.  Franconia Notch to Pinkham Notch would be 
a better plan for 6 easy days.

>Or I could go for 100 miles and try Glencliff to Gorham.

Most thruhikers take 9 or more days to do this - maybe less when 
slackpacking.

>...I understand that the trail there is felt by some to be steep in
>
>places. Climbing out of Franconia Notch looks worse than anything I have 
>done so far in 1400 miles of AT.

Yes, it's steeper than much of the rest of the trail but it's really the 
rough footing that generally makes it more difficult.  The climb out of 
Franconia Notch is steep but relatively easy.  The climb northbound out of 
Pinkham Notch (Wildcats) is probably the worst section, with the northtbound 
climbs out of Crawford Notch and the southbound climbs out of Kinsman Notch 
being not far behind.

There are plenty of places where you'll be using your hands to help pull 
yourself up over rocks and let yourself down over steep drops.

>Is 14 miles/day reasonable? My dry
>summer pack weight is 15 pounds w/o food.

14 miles sounds like a lot to me.  Chances are you should be carrying your 
Virginia spring/fall pack in the Whites in the summer.  Fleece bags just 
don't cut it unless you luck into a spell of warm weather.

>4. What do you all think my hut strategy should be? I aint rich but
>neither am I broke, and I am mostly thinking in terms of the quality of
>the hike.  Would I be better to do almost all huts (say Zealand Falls
>Hut to Mizpah Hut to Madison Hut to Carter Notch Hut to Gorham) or few
>huts (say Garfield Ridge CS to Ethan Pond CS to Lakes of the Clouds Hut
>to Pinkham Notch Camp to Imp CS to Gorham)?

Well, if you plan huts all the way through, you can eliminate a lot of food 
weight and sleeping bag weight (you still need a sheet sack or something but 
there are warm, wool, blankets at the huts).  But, some of the stretches you 
imply are very long, hard, days.  Franconia to Zealand is huge.  The 
Garfield Ridge is deceptively difficult.  I would plan a stay at Lafayette, 
too.  You might consider a post dinner start up to the Liberty Springs Tent 
site, then a day to Garfield camp site, and then to Ethan Pond or out to 
Crawford Notch.  Zealand to Crawford is a fairly easy stretch.

Lakes to Pinkham is a hard stretch - worthy of two days - even by many 
thruhikers.  Crawford to Lakes is doable.

>5. Any huts to avoid? Any not to miss?

This is all personal preference.  Hate crowds?  Avoid Lakes.  Like crowds?  
Go to lakes.  Etc.

>6. I know huts provide Din and Breakfast but do they also provide a
>hiker oriented lunch? The nice thing about hut resupply is the resultant 
>low pack weight.

No, but you can buy some snack food/candy bars there.  Also, they sometimes 
have leftovers available for $1 or some soup for sale.  Hard to count on it 
though.  Beverages are usually available.

The cafeteria on the to of Washington is place where you can definitely plan 
on buying food if you so desire.  No so much for resupply but maybe for a 
bowl of hot chili or a hot dog.  Not the best or cheapest but I've had a lot 
worse for more money.

>7. Is there a place to stay near Crawford Notch? With a ride?

There's a hostel in Crawford Notch.  It's a hitch north from the AT.

>8. Any reasonable resupply options? Remember, a section hiker with
>limited time cannot spend too much time getting to a store.

Hitching is generally OK in the Whites.  The distances are a bit further 
than many other places but once you're in the car, they're going that far 
anyway.  From Crawford Notch, hitch "east" (it's really south) to the 
supermarket near the intersection of 302 and 16.  There's a DQ there and 
some other restaurants, too.  Then you can hitch north back to the trail or 
all the way to the hostel.  Anyone going past the trail is going past the 
hostel, too.

From Pinkham Notch, hitch "west" (it's really north) to Gorham.  There's 
limited resupply (minimarts) in town and a grocery store and/or Walmart 
north of town.

>9. Is there safe (Ha!) parking at the road crossing near Gorham? At
>Franconia Notch? In Glencliff? Do you have to pay a fee to park?
>Can I park at Pinkham Notch so I can use the AMC shuttle system?

Yes to all of the above.  I've never had a problem parking at any of these 
trailheads and don't know anyone else who has had problems either.  I 
usually do just make sure my car looks empty.

There is a fee to park.  I think the yearly pass is ~$20 which gets you a 
sticker to put on your car.  Or you can pay a daily fee but I think for a 
week, you'll be better off with the sticker.

>10. Anything else I should be thinking about? What have I forgotten?

???

Hope this helps,

Mara
Stitches, GAME99

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