In my opinion, it is extremely rude to sit right in the middle of the trail to rest, right where the path of travel is. Twice today I had to ask different groups of people eating lunch to please move out of the way so I could continue descending, because there was no other room for me to go. There is almost always space on the side of a trail to rest. There’s no reason for you to be sitting in the middle of the trail unless you’re injured and cannot get up. Please have some self awareness.

Don’t think I’ve ever been on a hike with a turnstile and a cable car before. Definitely one of the more unique hikes I’ve been on. Pretty good view on top of Crag and a fairly easy/moderate hike to get there. Way past peak, but yellows still holding strong and still looked nice in the bright sunshine.

For my 27th/28th NH48, I decided to bring the pup for his 1st/2nd 4000 footer. Trail was great that day. Parking was full by 8a. Lots of friendly peeps. Weather was great. Barely any wind. Felt like mid 40s all day. Leaves looked to be around or just past peak. The pup handled his first real NH hike with gusto. He’s been on plenty of others - all of the NET sans Monadnock. I watched a WF/PCWY YT vid beforehand with pups in mind and thought he/we could do the ledges without much issue. The only part that we needed some assistance was at the zig zag crux. Thx to Ryan (I think) and his wife from Concord area for the assistance. Hike took a while for me that day. I was feeling off and fatigued. I unfortunately skipped the Passaconaway view spur due day light contraints. Made it back to the car by 6:30. Overall, this one was one of my favorites thus far. I have yet to do Presis / Wildcats, so I’m sure that will change.

Edit: I meant to say 10/19/26!

First time doing one of the big mountains in NH, pretty fun, pretty tough and everything in between. Took me about 8 hours, stopped for breaks and also chatted with an older gentleman that was currently in his 1081 or 1083 4k ft elevation hike. The start was good, dry ground, then mud, encounter ice build up around 2.2k ft elevation gain. Then back to mud and then dry at the top. Some sections were a little muddy but not too bad. Shoutout to green leaf hut, I spilled my water but found they have water there, life saver. Took my camera but I was too tired to even take pics.

Beautiful snowliage day!

Falling Waters was hard and icy but nothing compared to the muddy mess on the Old Bridle Path! Did the whole loop in 6:08h

The trail was so packed, but I had an amazing first time on the ridge!

Mt Washington - Huntington Ravine Trail

October 17, 2026

Summited! Don’t try it at home kids.

It was an amazing morning to hike moosilauke. I didn’t use microspikes but there was alot of ice.

Conditions were... less than ideal, as expected. Wet leaves on trail below 3k. Light snow and thin ice above 3k, though not enough for traction other than a short segment of thick ice coming down from Hight. Lots of water and mud/bogs on trail (second half of Imp, Carter-Moriah pretty much throughout) made it slower going and difficult to keep dry feet.

Winds were whipping and temps were real chilly, especially in the few exposed areas. I was glad to be in the trees for the majority of the day - don't know how you Presi and Franconia folks fared yesterday without a Himalayan kit lol

In any case, had some stunning clear views between Lethe/Middle and on Hight! Wasn't planning to finish on Carter Dome but no complaints either.

#105 for the nh 500.

Hey everyone,

I'm somewhat experienced in the Whites having hiked and backpacked there for about 12-13 years now. However, I only get out a handful times each year in all 4 seasons as I live 4 hours away. I have accumulated all the gear but I still tend to overthink what I should pack for simple overnight or weekend trips especially when I'm going solo. I always get analysis paralysis, haha. As a result, I like to defer to those more experienced and or locals at times and would appreciate tips or advice.

With that said, please add any fixes or suggestions to my packing list for a 2 day one night trip, this mid week, in the Ethan Pond/Zealand/Zeacliff area.

10 Degree 900 Fill Down El Coyote Quilt/ Good R Value 4 season pad/ soft-shell REI Activator pants/moisture wicking tops both short sleeve and 1/4 zip long sleeve/ Cold weather Grid type fleece such as Patagonia R1/ winter fleece hat/mid weight fleece gloves/ socks/warmer spare pair socks for sleep and at camp/mid weight Capilene or Merino base layers for sleep, both top and bottoms/ down puffy for camp/ micro-spikes/ Nalgene cold weather water bottles with insulator sleeves/ portable charger/ first aid kit/ navigation on phone and compass/map/ ultralight down camp shoes/heavier spare gloves just in case needed at camp/stove/food/headlamp/spare headlamp or battery/ Hard shell Rain type jacket( Patagonia Torrent shell). Overkill?? Anything you'd add or remove??

Thanks everyone!

Started from Ferncroft at a bit past 0730 with my partner. Started a bit later knowing that there would be precipitation overnight into the early morning, & that the skies were not supposed to clear until around 11am or 12pm. Carried traction as it is now wintery at, above, or around 4000 feet.

Going up whiteface the light precipitation that was forecasted to only be for a short time in the morning intensified and became snow as we got closer to the top. The winds were gusting in the 30mph range. This was only significant in that i caught a chill and was chilled most of the day (though not wet). The whole hike i was pretty tired as i have been hiking quite a bit over that last 7 days and probably have not fully recovered from 11000 vertical gain for the week. Going was a bit rough on the way to Passaconaway as the trail was covered in light snow and where warmer was water.

The skies cleared just before noon and we ate lunch at a window along the trail that looks out over the lakes region. Foliage was definately past peak, but at lower elevations there were some late trees.

All in all ended up being a nice day. My battery needs to recharge a bit.

A gem of a hike not often talked about on here. Steep but quick

The relocation of Falling Waters Trail has prompted a lot of discussion on social media. Many people have vented about the downsides of the new route: it bypasses Stairs Falls, the wide tread invites inexperienced hikers, it's not like the other rugged trails in the White Mountains, etc. This article, by Nat Scrimshaw, discusses some of the trail building techniques they used on the relocation (and on Old Bridle Path).

By the way, it's part of a series of articles where he also discusses what they could have done better. I highly recommend the whole series.

TL;DR: The Franconia Ridge loop receives 45K-50K visitors between May and October. Something had to be done to make the trails more sustainable. Personally, I'm grateful experts like Nat Scrimshaw are working on a solution.

From the Ledges Trail on Pine Mountain 10/15/26. Nasty weather coming this weekend though, be safe out there!

Started this hike around 0545. Wasnt sure about traction so it took a ride. The forcast indicated rain the night before and then a forcast at ~3500ft in the area was 34(F). To me this means ice at high summits. This would end up being correct but not as cut and dry as yes or no. All the plants had rime ice, the rocks on the very edges of them all had rime ice, and any left over water than was not a puddle had also turned to a extremely thin layer of ice. This made wearing traction not the right choice, but also made bare booting it slightly dangerous. For me this added time to the ascent up lafayette. The worst part was going up north lincoln as the winds coming from the NW were contributing to the overall freeze.

Overall the weather ended up great as the day progressed. The skies cleared. At the saddle out to liberty i decided to turn around as all the water that melted was pooling and this hike was purely for conditioning/gains. All log bridges/planks were iced, but otherwise this part of my hike was unremarkable.

On the return i was ascending parts of the trail hit directly by sunlight so it also was unremarkable aside from the great views. I was moderately surprised by the number of people as the day went on. It is the last week Greenleaf is going to be open and though i rarely stop where i think people will be gathered, i went in thinking i would sit at a table to eat a lunch. The tables were loaded with people staring back at me, so I ate on the porch.

At the parking lot SAR & fish and game were gathered. Thinking about it i am not super surprised as the conditions were sneakily dangerous and in the afternoon the trails down were soaked. Its possible as the trails become more accessible for the public with the work that is being done that we see more people getting up to higher elevations with ease & getting in situations they might not have been prepared for, but who am i to say so....

The best day I've ever had in the Whites to finish my 4000 Footers.

Hey guys. I was looking to hike next week. I have done some of the peaks in the Adks, but I wanted to know what the weather would be like around next week or if anyone had any insight on what to bring or if I should expect whiteout conditions

TY :)

Anyone up there recently who can comment? I want to get just one more off the list (40/48)-- I have micro spikes but an generally a three-season hiker.

So sadly haven't been up to the Whites since Late May when I did an overnight of the Kinsman's with my daughter when she got home from college.
It's been a tough summer and fall in general never mind getting up there hiking so I'm not in the best cardio shape as I'd like to be.

I'm going thru all my maps and guidebooks now to find some mellow but still scenic and beautiful trip itineraries. I'd be going midweek during this upcoming week so crowds aren't a concern, but I would prefer a designated backcountry site with a bear box, privy, etc that won't be difficult to secure a platform all to myself if I get to camp in the late afternoon.

So far I've narrowed it down to Ethan Pond campsite or a Webster/Jackson loop staying at Nauman. Any other suggestions are welcomed. I'm looking at cap it at 10-12 miles total or maybe under 2800 feet elevation gain until I get my hiking legs and lungs back..

Thanks!