Presi Traverse 6/22 or 6/23

[Heather]

I've never hiked any presidentals in June before. Is there still ice at higher elevation? I'd like to just day pack it with minimal gear for speed if possible....not sure if I'm going to go all the way to Jackson yet or not...Jacksoon isn't even named after the president anyway. Depends on how I feel I guess. I know many of you have completed the traverse before....any words of advice??

 

[dr_wu002]

I've never hiked any presidentals in June before. Is there still ice at higher elevation? I'd like to just day pack it with minimal gear for speed if possible....not sure if I'm going to go all the way to Jackson yet or not...Jacksoon isn't even named after the president anyway. Depends on how I feel I guess. I know many of you have completed the traverse before....any words of advice??

No, Jackson isn't named after any president but if you still go by "Mt. Clinton" then neither is Pierce either. And there shouldn't be any snow in those areas in June unless is snows that day or a few days before.

I'd say if you can dayhike it, do it. Adding Jackson is a lot of fun because you really get a beautiful (the most beautiful) view of the Presidentials... and your destination(s)... that way. Then again I like going South to North which most people don't.

-Dr. Wu

 

[Heather]

Definitely a day hike. I never considered going south to north before but that may cut down on the traffic. I agree with you on the view from Jackson. The first time I hiked Jackson it was raining so I wasn't all that impressed with the mountain really. I re-hiked it for winter this January on a clear blue day and my opinion was changed.

 

[bpschroder]

South to North

I agree with Dr. Wu hike from south to north. Although it might be a little more difficult I thought it was much more enjoyable from that direction. I did the traverse last Labor Day weekend from south to north and didn't run into many hikers after Washington.

 

[Blue]

We did north to south last year and I was LOVING the southern pressies, including Jackson, at the end of the long day.

 

[dr_wu002]

We did north to south last year and I was LOVING the southern pressies, including Jackson, at the end of the long day.

I agree that the Southern Ones are easier and I'm still planning on doing a full traverse to commemorate my 30th birthday. However, I'm still struggling on the direction. North to South is clearly easier. But I love the Southern Ones so much it's nice to see them when you're "fresh", right? I'm thinking that maybe I'll do an in/out South-North-South just to compromise .

-Dr. Wu

 

[sapblatt]

I'm thinking that maybe I'll do an in/out South-North-South just to compromise.

-Dr. Wu

Well that would at least make it challenging.

 

[mountaingirl]

I'm thinking that maybe I'll do an in/out South-North-South just to compromise .

-Dr. Wu

I think 30th birthday is a big event, totally worth the effort of seeing both North and South in both daylight and moon light. It makes great pictures, and saves at least an hour's time of moving the extra car.

 

[dr_wu002]

I think 30th birthday is a big event, totally worth the effort of seeing both North and South in both daylight and moon light. It makes great pictures, and saves at least an hour's time of moving the extra car.

Lei, Sounds great but I'm going to offer that you pull me along in one of these for the last 10 (or 20) miles where I'm either dead, dying or deranged and you're still going strong. Don't worry -- I can still drive home after

-Dr. Wu

 

[mountaingirl]

Well, it's dangerous to get deranged up there, you could end up going south-north-south-north-south-..., there would never be an end. That would also be confusing for people who are first time up there and are trying to follow your footprints like those following Forest Gump in running. You are a grown up man now, Dr. Wu.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

IMHO, south to north is easier given the 600+ ft elevation advantage. That said, if you wish to do Jackson as an option (named after C.T., only a geologist, although the mountain is geologically related to the Presi's), better go north to south. Skipping Jackson saves you a couple of miles. so I have elected to skip more than once on north to south traverses and always skip when I go south to north.

 

[McRat]

Skipping Jackson

Jackson, and to a lesser extent, Webster both have a lot of charm to them.

I'm planning a July presi traverse and recently hiked Webster/Jackson so I could 'skip' them in July.

Unless my legs dictate otherwise, I'm planning on going over these peaks again.

 

[Hunter]

For those who are committed to the north to south route, does anyone know if there is a place to stay the night before or do you just get up at an unreasonable hour to get to the trailhead before sunrise?

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

For Presi's north to south, the Climbers Paradise hostel on the east side of Rt. 16 just south of jct. with Rt. 2 has reasonable rates. For Presi's south to north, the AMC has finally reopened their hostel at the Highland Center, which is not all that cheap, but includes breakfast, I think. I highly recommend spotting a vehicle the night before.

 

[Tramper Al]

Why not June 21st?

Hey,
Why not June 21st then?
It is certainly the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. I believe in addition to that it is the traditional day for a Presidential traverse, no? It may even be the traditional hike naked day, too, but I have not found that to be universally observed.

 

[beverly]

North to South

A bunch of us from NY did the traverse last year on June 20th and we camped the night before at the Moose Brook State Park, 2 miles west of Gorham. It was convenient and had showers. We spotted cars the day before and were able to get a 5am start

 

[Sean]

I'm hoping to do a one day presi traverse this spring as well. What is a reasonable amount of time to expect to spend on the trail? I am a reasonably fast hiker, and I rarely stop for breaks longer than 15 minutes (although I usually don't day hike the presis).
Any other hints?
Sean

 

[beverly]

Reasonable?

We did it last year - starting at 5am and finishing around 7:30-8pm, I think. We had a varied group of hardy hikers ranging in age from the mid 20s to the mid 50s. We did the 'minimal' traverse (19.8 miles) north to south - exiting after Pierce. We spent an hour at the Madison Hut and an hour on Washington, as well as various other stops. 2 in our group exited after Lakes and 2 (the young guys) also did Jackson and came out just as it got dark. As always, YMMV.