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  1. #1
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    NH > White Mountains > 9/19-9/24/2021 - hitchhiking & one-night backpacking options?

    Hi all,

    I'll be backpacking generally along the Appalachian Trail in the White Mountains from 9/19 to 9/24, starting at Lincoln Woods trailhead (parking lot) near Franconia Notch and ending at Pinkham Notch. My hiking buddy and I have the hiking part pretty well planned. I have a few side questions for those familiar with the area.

    #1: My understanding is that hitchhiking in the White Mountains is easy. There was an article on SectionHiker that even said exactly where to stand. Is hitchhiking still easy with COVID going on?

    My plan is to leave my car at Lincoln Woods trailhead parking lot, hike to Pinkham Notch, and hitchhike back. Specifically, I'm hoping to hitchhike from Pinkham Notch to Conway, and then hitchhike from there (the Saco Ranger station) West on the Kancamagus Highway to the Lincoln Woods parking lot. Does this hitchhiking plan sound easily feasible for a Thursday morning (9/23)?

    #2: Could someone recommend an overnight backpacking trip to add on at the end?

    My expectation is that I'll arrive in Pinkham Notch in the morning of Thurs 9/23 and hitchhike back to the car by the afternoon. I've left Friday 9/24 as a slush day in case I get delayed by weather or unforeseen circumstances. (I'll be driving back to Maryland on Saturday.) If all goes according to plan, I'd enjoy a quick one-night backpacking outing on Thurs evening / Friday to finish the trip. No more than a few miles on Thursday, to complete before dark; I could do a few more miles on Friday to complete a loop by late afternoon.

    Thanks to everybody in advance for your suggestions.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Rhody Seth's Avatar
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    Hmm, can't say I've ever hitchhiked in my life and while you do see people hiking along the road up in the Whites I can't say I've seen many with their hand out looking for a ride. So I'm no help there. There's a 4000 Footer group on Facebook with something like 50k members. It can be a bit toxic but if you were looking to arrange a ride that may be a good option to look into. With so many people someone could likely help. There are also personal taxi/shuttle services you can look into.

    In terms of short 1 night options - I like Ethan Pond via the Ethan Pond Trail from the Willey House (couple miles south of the Highland Center at Crawford Notch). It's a steep first mile and easy second. There are tent platforms and the pond is lovely. Halfway there a separate trail heads straight up Mt. Willey via ladders which afford great views. I did it about four years ago, setting up at the pond and then backtracking to tag Mt. Willey.

    Enjoy your trip - hopefully the leaves will be popping by then!

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rhody Seth View Post
    In terms of short 1 night options - I like Ethan Pond via the Ethan Pond Trail from the Willey House (couple miles south of the Highland Center at Crawford Notch). It's a steep first mile and easy second. There are tent platforms and the pond is lovely. Halfway there a separate trail heads straight up Mt. Willey via ladders which afford great views. I did it about four years ago, setting up at the pond and then backtracking to tag Mt. Willey.
    Glad to hear Ethan Pond is nice -- that's actually where I'm planning to spend the 2nd night! Here's a link to my planned route on AllTrails: Pemi & Presidentials, NH | AllTrails. (Is there a way to upload a GPX track?) Here's a screenshot.
    Pemi and Presidentials.png
    Any other thoughts for places to check out with an overnight?

    Quote Originally Posted by Rhody Seth View Post
    Enjoy your trip - hopefully the leaves will be popping by then!
    Thanks!

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    Senior Member Rhody Seth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by schwad View Post
    Any other thoughts for places to check out with an overnight?
    Man that's going to be a fun trip. I was just up there a few weeks back and did two separate overnights. First I stayed at the Kinsman Pond Shelter, taking the Mt. Kinsman Trail. It's about 4.5 miles. You can check out the video to get an idea of the camp here: https://youtu.be/uLrqk4yqoU4

    The next night I stayed on the summit of Mt. Carrigain which does permit camping. The most direct route is the Signal Ridge Trail and is about five miles each way. If the foliage is peaking the views would be unrivaled. You can check out that video here if you like: https://youtu.be/Poz_5T7nqyk

    I'm guessing you'd be doing this after you retrieved your car at Lincoln Woods so Kinsman Pond wouldn't be too far a drive from there.

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    @Rhody Seth, a belated thanks for your videos! I watched them in order to plan some day hike options.

    I mapped out routes for both a Kinsman loop and a Carrigain loop. But at the end of our 5-day hike, we were too beat and it was too rainy to do an overnight. See my trip report here. These overnights will be places to explore for next time!

    Thanks again for your help!

  6. #6
    Senior Member Rhody Seth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by schwad View Post
    @Rhody Seth, a belated thanks for your videos! I watched them in order to plan some day hike options.

    I mapped out routes for both a Kinsman loop and a Carrigain loop. But at the end of our 5-day hike, we were too beat and it was too rainy to do an overnight. See my trip report here. These overnights will be places to explore for next time!

    Thanks again for your help!
    Glad to hear they were helpful! I don't blame you guys for being beat - that was quite the backpack route!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rhody Seth View Post
    Glad to hear they were helpful! I don't blame you guys for being beat - that was quite the backpack route!
    Your videos were actually helpful for the planning of my main trip, too. It was good know what to expect for trail conditions -- the big rocks in the middle of the trail are not what I'm accustomed to hiking on, so that made me recalibrate how far we could go in a day. The videos showed it better than any pictures do.

    Also, since my backpacking buddy Dave took a bunch of short videos of our hike, I appreciate even more the work that you put into video editing and polishing your presentation. Very nice!

  8. #8
    Senior Member Rhody Seth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by schwad View Post
    Your videos were actually helpful for the planning of my main trip, too. It was good know what to expect for trail conditions -- the big rocks in the middle of the trail are not what I'm accustomed to hiking on, so that made me recalibrate how far we could go in a day. The videos showed it better than any pictures do.

    Also, since my backpacking buddy Dave took a bunch of short videos of our hike, I appreciate even more the work that you put into video editing and polishing your presentation. Very nice!
    Thanks again. The videos are definitely a labor of love. And yeah, you don't find many smooth trails in the Whites. They make you work for it!

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