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Thanks, Chris! The references I see to spots higher on the Sphinx seem to be mostly from Winter campers, where snow cover negates the >8 foot tree height requirement. But 200 feet off-trail still applies in the Winter, no? At least to the extent that the Sphinx Trail is within the Great Gulf...

If so, these are just a bit further away from the foot of the Sphinx Trail than I had hoped. A third or half a mile is a big deal in this terrain. I'm looking for the closest legal spot to use to duck off the Gulfside for the night. Hopefully closer than the Perch which I've used in the past...

Is this the DayTrip post you're referring to?

There are thousands of resources. But it's a pretty simple body of knowledge. Just about any dish you like can be dried, just keep the "chunks", e.g the beef in beef stew, relatively small, and spread out the food in a thin layer on the dryer tray. I just cook meals, keeping that in mind, and...

I think if you accidentally take a few steps on the closed Dry River Trail you can just say 10 Hail Marys.

I have stopped there for water dozens of times, mostly from May-November, over the years, and never found the spring dry. There are four standard sized platforms and two larger ones, and a shelter that I've seen 15-20 people jammed into. There are overflow areas.

N44 07 15.3, W71 30 23.3 Wide, but shallow & slow-moving.

I still think the safest crossing in the general area is the one I describe in the thread on the Molly Route. It does, however, involve some off-trail.

A couple of reports say there is flowing fresh water near the campsites. Tea colored water in this thread. But at least one of these reports identifies the flow as Black Point Brook, which seems on the maps I've looked at to be a couple of miles away. And on these maps, as well as on satellite...

Overzealous individuals, including caretakers, brush in sites they personally don't approve of; no legal significance.

Done it twice in recent years; above advice all good, particularly food protection; these critters (various) are smart and persistent. Never had trouble finding campsites. Hope you beat the snow. Did not see a lot of people except in the Alaska Basin, very pretty though. North out of the basin...

I once slipped an fell in the bathroom. I'll never ...

Years ago I used to use a variation of the "YoYo" iso stove that held the can upside down and it worked quite well in the winter. It also had a preheat loop in the line which took the iso through the flame. Great stove. But with large volumes of snow to be melted for water, nothing beats liquid...

I stayed at the Garfield Ridge campsite last night; I'll turn myself in to the authorities tomorrow as I'm a little tired right now (a very large group of kids on nearby tent platforms kept me awake). There are some blowdowns on the "spur", one of them a little awkward, but I happened to do it...

In the Presidentials, particularly, there are many legal sites where the common wisdom provided here is that there is no sleeping permitted. But yes they are frequently ALSO bathrooms for the masses who can't be bothered to bury. Sometimes you can press in past the gardens but sometimes you just...

YES! It rarely happens because it makes no sense. I reluctantly admit I have stopped by afternoon near-trail-legal campers (mostly elsewhere) to converse and subtly tried to make them feel uncomfortable about it. Suggested alternatives. Pointed out the uncomfortableness of it. Been borderline...

No. Everybody has to do his own due diligence, but I am personally satisfied that the Pemi Wilderness boundary is generally 66 feet off trail to the East. Thus, one interpretation is that sleeping is permitted on the trail or up to 66 feet off trail E, then prohibited between 66+ feet and 199+...

The last (highest) water crossing is almost always running. It was a few days ago. It's the NEXT to the last, not much lower down, that is frequently dry (you can sometimes hear water running under the rocks).

Nice post. On this specific point though I think the references to "flat" are meant to extend further up. There are large flat or at least flatish areas up beyond the five mile point (i.e. the old Wilderness Trail intersection). I think they're still trying to revegetate the Camp 16 area, but...

Poetic license. The 17th, up high, was cold and windy, the combination in some places at some points bitter cold, though when the wind died down it was quite comfortable. Clear skies, nowhere close to snow, but leaning into the wind, and layers to stay warm. Warm, calm weather set in early on...