Franconia Ridge is lovely to hike any time of year. But it can get pretty hairy to climb in winter when it’s cold and the wind is blowing hard. The best days don’t come around that often so you need to watch …
Read More »Trip Reports
Winter Hiking and Weather Forecasting in the White Mountains
If you plan to hike in the White Mountains in winter, it’s important to pay careful attention to the weather forecast so you can avoid hiking in dangerous conditions. High winds, cold temperatures, or deep snow can compromise your safety but can …
Read More »Hiking Mt Adams and Mt Madison in December and January
Mt Adams (5774′) and Mt Madison (5367′) are the second highest and fifth highest four thousand footers in the White Mountains. They’re usually hiked together on the same day because they’re adjacent at the northernmost end of the Presidential Range. Climbing Adams …
Read More »TGO Challenge: Route Planning Tips for Backpacking Across Scotland
The TGO Challenge is an annual backpacking event that lasts for 15 days and involves backpacking coast to coast across Scotland, a distance of 180-200 miles. It’s been held for 40 years and is organized by The Great Outdoors Magazine which is …
Read More »Climbing Mt Washington in Winter – 10 Tips for a Successful Hike
Backpacker Magazine got it right when they named Mt Washington (6288′) one of the 10 most dangerous hikes in America. While avalanches are a concern, safe routes exist to climb the peak as long as the weather is favorable. But it often …
Read More »When Does Winter Start in the White Mountains?
Winter isn’t so much of a season in the White Mountains as an altitude. The onset of winter always starts at the higher elevations first with freezing rain and snow before the snow line drops into the mountain passes and valleys below. …
Read More »The Terrifying 25: A Popular List of Trails in the White Mountains (NH)
The Terrifying 25 is a popular list of difficult and at times terrifying hiking trails in New Hampshire’s White Mountains compiled by Trish Herr, the author of Up! A Mother and Daughter’s Peakbagging Adventure, and her daughters Alex and Sage when they were …
Read More »The White Mountains 4000 Footer Grid
The White Mountains 4000 Footer Grid, called The Grid, requires hiking all 48 of the mountains on the White Mountains 4000 footer list, once each calendar month. That equates to 48 x 12 or 576 climbs, although you can climb multiple peaks …
Read More »The Winter Route to the North Twin Trail Trailhead
The forest service road (Haystack Road, also called FR #304) that leads to the North Twin Trail trailhead is gated in winter. While you can hike 2.5 miles along Haystack Rd to the trailhead from Rt 3, it’s much shorter to park …
Read More »Gridding out Mt Washington and Mt Monroe in November
I’d been hoping to climb Mt Washington and Mt Monroe early in the month before it snowed and got winter-like above treeline, but winter came earlier than expected this year. But then I sprained my ankle on November 3rd while hiking back …
Read More »Backpacking Across Scotland in the 2024 TGO Challenge
I’ll be backpacking coast to coast across Scotland in the 2024 TGO Challenge next May for the third time. The TGO Challenge is an annual backpacking event started in 1980, where 400 backpackers, hiking solo or in small teams, attempt to hike …
Read More »Backpacking in the Dry River Valley
The Dry River Valley runs through the heart of the Presidential Range-Dry River Wilderness from Mt Washington to Crawford Notch. It is a wild place and one of the toughest regions of the White Mountains to hike and backpack in. It’s also …
Read More »Hiking a Pond of Safety Loop
The Pond of Safety is located in the area of the White Mountains called the Randolph Community Forest (RCF). Randolph is a small community located just north of Rt 2 across from Mts Madison, Adams, and Jefferson in the Presidential Mountain Range. …
Read More »Backpacking a Mt Moosilauke – Hurricane Mtn Loop
The first trail I ever hiked in the White Mountains, the Beaver Brook Trail, climbs Mt Moosilauke (4803′). The initial ascent is a beast of a climb 2000′ up a cliff with iron bars and wooden steps anchored on the rock next …
Read More »