Hiking in April/May in the Whites

[Dragonfly]

I am new to this forum having been a lurker for many months and have been reading with interest the mud season threads. My 4 sons (10, 12, 14, 16) and I started working on the NH 48 list last July and have completed 13 so far. Because they are involved with little league and soccer our weekends are extremely limited until mid June but I was hoping to take advantage of Patriots Day (4/18) in Mass. and get out this weekend and possibly sneak in another hike in May. Since they prefer to ski in winter, I have only limited winter equipment (2 pairs of crampons and no snowshoes) and am wondering if any of the NH 4000's will be bare bootable this weekend or if I should scrap my plans altogether due to snow conditions (don't want to posthole) or the mud. I am up on the LNT principles and certainly do not want to violate any. I was hoping you folks might be able to point me to one of the smaller 4000's with possibly a rocky trail less prone to mud and erosion or a southern exposure trail that might be OK. By the way I did manage to hike Flume and Jackson this winter with one of my sons and had a blast so snowshoes are in my future. I look forward to hearing your advice on this issue and want to add that this forum is extremely informative and interesting and has been very helpful. Thanks.

Scott

 

[sapblatt]

Scott -
There should be a lot you can do, but I would think you would need crampons...I sure wish I had them last weekend on Waumbek, but that is a another long story. Check out the trail conditions that are posted on VFTT from last weekend. You will see alot of different conditions and equipment used.
Have fun and be safer than I was!

 

[Waumbek]

Snow and cold this week means that most trails will be covered or icy above 2000' to 2500' this weekend. I would take snowshoes almost everywhere at or above 4K at this time of year anyway. Even some of the exposed peaks, like the last 1000' above treeline to Lafayette, which is snow-covered again this week, by the way, have lower trail sections in ravines and north-facing cols that are still deep in snow and will be for another 2-6 weeks.

 

[Jim lombard]

Passaconaway via Dicey Mills trail is usually the first NH 4K to shed the snow in spring but I'm hearing there is still significant snow and ice above 3K.

 

[Mike P.]

Earliest trails are the ones facing south but I would not expect to be snow & ice free until early may at earliest. South Taconics, Holyokes, Wachusetts look like Spring based on VFTT reports or personal observation, depending on your route & your tolernace for ice, Monadnock might be considered doable without traction devices. (I'd probably bring them as I would pick either a typical icy rouute or one on the north)

In Whites, Osceola & trail up to South Tri should be early melters also although the walk from South to Middle or North likely will be one of the later ones to melt. (Elevation & sun so high wooded ridges like the Twinway between Guyot & S. Twin are among the last to melt)

 

[Nadine]

How about a combo trip??? Boot up the ski trails at Wildcat and ski down??

 

[SherpaKroto]

Hmmm... skiing and hiking. Sounds like a Tuckerman Ravine trip is in order. The spectacle will appease your summit fever for a few weeks, and assuming your kids are strong skiers (advanced), they will love you for introducing you to that rite of spring. Conditions were absolutely perfect in the bowl and Hillman's yesterday (I hiked, did not ski, but the smiles said it all).

We barebooted most of Boots Spur Trail on descent yesterday, postholing once or twice each (snow shoes would not have been a better choice due to trail conditions). As others have already said, it all changes day to day.

Wildcat D was also an excellent idea, using the ski trails.

 

[Dragonfly]

Thanks to everyone for the advice! We hiked Tecumseh and came down the ski slopes. I'll submit a trip report shortly. Next hike will be our annual Tuckerman Ravine trip on May 7th.