Presidentials

With a free weekend coming up and one New England backpacking trip under my belt, I cast around for a new place to see: the Adirondacks, the Catskills, the Green Mountains, the Connecticut AT. But fate stepped in, and I couldn't find many guidebooks, and the ones I found only had day hikes anyway. The Whites were calling me back.

So I went to Mt. Washington and its less famous but more beautiful "Presidential" neighbors, just 15 miles from my last trip. There are few alpine places on the East Coast, after all, and hiking Washington feels like a rite of passage. It turned out to be a gorgeous weekend of endless views and plenty of time to ponder, think, and solve life's problems one boot-step at a time.

The route: After a short walk from the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, I slept the first night at the well-equipped Hermit Lake campsite in Tuckerman Ravine. From there I climbed the Lion Head trail to Mt. Washington (6288 ft), then spent most of my second day piddling down the ridge over Mt. Monroe (5372), Mt. Franklin (5303), Mt. Eisenhower (4780), and Mt. Pierce (4310), past the AMC's Mizpah hut. I slept the second night at Dry River shelter #3 (reports of its death are greatly exaggerated). Continuing the next morning, I made the steep climb back to the ridge, walking the Camel trail to the Davis trail, then topping Boott Spur (5492) and taking the Boott Spur trail and finally Tuckerman Ravine trail back to the visitor center. It's a beautiful loop, with tough climbs that pay off in long strolls above treeline, easier than the Great Circle because it's shorter. But make no mistake: not a loop for beginners.

Thanks to Neels for chasing the munchkins all weekend while I was away! Props also to the AMC and to their excellent White Mountain Guide.