Old ADK 46er looking to try the White Mountains

[Tom Rankin]

Where's JoeCedar when you need him? He did an extensive compare and contrast of the ADKs and the Whites. He concluded they are more or less comparable, with outliers. They both have huge crowds at times and places, long slogs, shorter 'easy' ones, and times when going above tree line is BAD idea. My personal opinion is that the Whites are less muddy, have fewer bugs, and are slightly easier. But as my wife says, "Conditions are EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING!" I think she's almost right!

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

It hasn't been mentioned, perhaps because it's so obvious, but you do want to do that hike on a good day with good visibility. Obviously, why take one of the most beautiful hikes on a poor visibility day, but also when in near zero visibility, finding the entrance into the woods on Falling Waters can be difficult under those conditions, and when going the other way, on the descent to the hut in zero visibility people have dropped off that sloping ridge while heading down and found themselves lost in the woods to the side of the trail, something would never happen when the visibility is good.

 

[Silverback]

It hasn't been mentioned, perhaps because it's so obvious, but you do want to do that hike on a good day with good visibility. Obviously, why take one of the most beautiful hikes on a poor visibility day, but also when in near zero visibility, finding the entrance into the woods on Falling Waters can be difficult under those conditions, and when going the other way, on the descent to the hut in zero visibility people have dropped off that sloping ridge while heading down and found themselves lost in the woods to the side of the trail, something would never happen when the visibility is good.

When I finished my first round of the 46, I made a promise that I would only hike when a big blue "H" hovered over the mountains. I've spent way too much time in the clouds. Well, we know how that all works out. The need to hike is more compelling than good weather. Nonetheless, anything involving an open ridge walk (especially on a trail that I have never hiked) will still require good weather before I would attempt it.

Sounds like a great hike and I'm looking forward to it.