Presi Traverse Sept 10 - "late" start

[nartreb]

Not to start an argument, but I don't believe in pre-dawn starts. My plan is to leave Appalachia at 7:30 AM, maintain a steady pace of 1/4 to 1/3 faster than book (minimal stops - water & quick snapshots; eat mostly while walking), and finish the descent by lamplight if necessary. (Will decide whether to include Webster and Jackson when the time comes; the safe option is a very easy descent from Pierce via Crawford Path.)

Anybody interested (eg, had a conflict over Labor Day weekend)?

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

Dugan and I started the Traverse this past Saturday at 7:16am and finished just before 8:00pm. So 7:30 doesn't sound too bad. I think a good nights sleep the night before a big hike is more important than an early start.

We'll be doing the Pemi Loop this coming weekend and though we'll probably get a little earlier start, I doubt we'll be starting in the dark like many do....though we may finish in the dark.

Good luck and hopefully the weather will cooperate.

 

[J&A]

I hope that my decision to volunteer for this trip is not a manifestation of the Nartreb principle! To be honest, I've only hiked in the Whites once: Mt. Tom. Being from the Washington, DC area the travel expenses are extravagant and the hallucinations that I experience during the twilight hours in which I make the 8-hour drive are even moreso. Most of my hikes are done in the Shenandoahs, if anyone has ever hiked there, it's more or less of a walk through Central Park than a hike through the ADKs (no offense). There are some more difficult hikes in VA too, but I have to bend over backwards for them to come out to >20 mi with anything more than four or five thousand feet of elevation gain. So such is my plight; this would be a major outing for me, but I feel that if a car-spot is made, I could always turn around and go back to my vehicle the way that I came. I've done 20 mi hikes before and completed them in 7-8 hours (4000 ft of gain), so I'd probably be able to keep up. I won't go though if there is any kind of disturbance in the atmosphere, so don't count me as a sure thing. Like I said, with gas the way it's going, this trip will cost me over $100. That's a lot for a miser like me.

 

[nartreb]

You do realize we're talking close to 9,000 feet of elevation gain, right? That'll be a one-day record for me as well, of course. But if you're not used to the Whites, be advised that many of the trails - especially in the Presis- are very uneven and rocky (Valley Way and Crawford Path are remarkably smooth, but some of the boulder fields are unavoidable - like the Mt W summit cone). That makes them even more tiring than you'd expect. I've climbed Mt Tom in the winter only, so the snow might have deceived me somewhat, but I recall that trail being one of the smoother ones in the Whites.
Think it over and shoot me a PM if you're still interested, we'll figure out how to recognize each other in the parking lot.
It sounds like you're already taking a cautious approach to the weather, but if you've never been on top of Mt Washington before then let me stress that you must bring weather gear (including hat and gloves as well as a windproof jacket) even if the forecast is for a warm sunny day.