hike suggestions?

[2plankerider]

my hiking buddy got the A O.K. from work yesterday and got next friday off. sooooooo we are gonna do a two niter (fri. sat.) in the whites. i am thinking of hiking up to the Mt. Madison area and chill up there a couple of days. Can't really do more than 4-5 miles a day due to the still recovering achilles surgery last May, so we plan on making camp fri. afternoon and hang out, day hike the ridgelines sat. and come back down sunday.i'd rather :shelters: camp to cut down on :tent: weight and allow more weight for :beer: anyone have any thoughts?
thanks

[el-bagr]

If you're interested in the northern end of the range, consider staying at Crag Camp (http://www.randolphmountainclub.org/shelters/cragcamp.html). Depending on what route you take, it's between 3 and 4 miles from your car (from Appalachia, takethe Airline, Short Line, Randolph Path and Spur trails, for 3.3 miles; or from Lowe's Store, take Lowe's Path and the Gray Knob trail, for 3.7 miles). It's warm, enclosed, and first-come-first serve -- so you lucky folk who get Friday off are almost certain to be able to stay there. It's a great basecamp for the ridges, and you can scope out your best line down King Ravine!

topozone map (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=19&n=4911434&e=316406&s=50&size=l&u=0&layer=DRG25)

You could alternatively stay at Gray Knob Cabin, which is even toastier and is only 3.2 miles from Lowe's Store by Lowe's Path.

Bring your :sleepingbag: .

[2plankerider]

el-bagr
thanks for the input. i've always wanted to explore that area....i guess now is as good a time as any. i got a toasty :sleepingbag: so no worries.

[RR]

That's a super route. Bring Binocs and check out the slide paths...hint, hint!

[NH_tele]

If you're going up there this weekend, you will have some pretty good weather...lots of wind and (dare I say it?) :snowflakes: :snowflakes: :snowflakes:

Bring LOTS of gear; down coats, stuff that can survive the weather, not just your fall foilage gear. Although it's definitely possible that the weather won't be anywhere near as bad (good!) as expected, Mt. Washington & the range is not a mountain you want to tempt fate on (ever read Not Without Peril?).

Have fun though, and think about brining your :skis:

[2plankerider]

tele
haha! i know where yer coming from... it's an annual trip up to the whites for us. last year it was the n. twin/s. twin area and ended up tenting next to the galehead hut (it was closed up for the season)it snowed about 6-8 the day before and got down to 15 at night. it was sooooooo coooooool though, not a cloud in the sky, clear as a bell. no :skis: though, just a trip to go play in the mountains. going NEXT weekend. can't wait! looks like we're gonna do the crag camp route to save on the :tent: weight and bring more :beer: thanks for the crag camp tip el-bagr.i always live by the motto: it's better to bring it and not use it, than not bring it and need it.

[NH_tele]

Sounds good! I wish I could be up there....I'm stuck down in the relative flats of Laconia.

There's something really cool about early season snow, it's just so great!!!

I'd second the Crag Camp vote, RMC (Randolf Mountain Club) "huts" are very nice, not like the AMC's. For a modest fee, you get a roof over your head, a bunk (although no beds like the AMC), the privlage to cook inside (something I HATE about the AMC), and sometimes a wood stove going as well. There is another RMC hut somewhere up there, that is also very nice, but the name escapes me at the moment.

[2plankerider]

so you can cook inside? niiiiiice...gonna seem like club med compared to last year (although last year was a blast)
Gray Camp. guess it's pretty tightly insulated as well.
looking forward to it. didn't realize they were year round until now. hmmmmmmmmmm mid winter hike/ski/ride????? the possibilities. :D

[NH_tele]

I haven't been there (a RMC hut) for 2 years now. But when I last went to one, they were about $8 per night (don't remember if that was per-person, but I'm guessing it was), and they gave you a bunk to sleep in, but it was just wood; bring your own thermarest and bag (which you should do anyway). They allowed camp stoves to be used inside, unlike the AMC huts. Also, dogs were allowed inside I *believe*

Overall, I really loved the ambience of the place. I've had some bad experiences with the AMC on the few occasions I've gone into their huts for anything more than a passing glance & water re-fill.

Once the AMC caretakers @ Madison hut made me pay $21 to sleep on their floor!!! (no meal, no bunk, nothing). It was a night of pouring rain, and I found out that my old tent at the time wasn't actually waterproof at all (I had hiked from Crawford Notch that day on the AT, camping for the night about .25-.5 mi below Madison Hut). I packed up my soaking wet stuff at about 10:00-10:30 PM, and hiked up the trail by headlamp to the hut, where I sacked out on the floor. I cooked my own meal in the morning on my MSR stove (outside :( ), and then got charged $21!!! :eek:

Since then I've gotten a North Face Slickrock tent that's actually (gasp) waterproof, and rarely stay in shelters/huts in the Whites; it's too crowed, much nicer to just camp out by myself off the side of the trail.

The GMC shelter system is very nice, however!!!


As for a :happyhiker: trip this winter, I think that, with the right snow, King's Ravine would have some pretty nice snow. Also, the Great Gulf is right there. I would definitely be game for a 2 day camp out in the RMC huts, skinning & skiing the range...