These last 7 are going to be a PITA

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Sematary

Sematary

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Since I live in Ct., getting up to the White Mountains is, well, challenging. It's a long drive no matter where I go and the 7 I have left are literally all over the map. I'm determined to get them done this summer though. Here are the 7 I have left.

West Bond
South Carter
South Kinsman
Mount Cabot
Mount Moriah
Owl's Head
Mount Isolation

The only hope I see of cutting my trips down is to take a long weekend and try and get two or three in one weekend but since they are so spread out, it's going to be tough to do this without going up there 7 times. lol I'm excited though. Only 7 to go and then I can start working on the New England 4000 footers plus, I would really like to defeat the Presidential Range (weather defeated me last time) and the Pemi Loop is another goal (def. a two day affair).
 
Similar situation here. but farther out than you in Northeast CT. I feel that pain. I have 3 trips left; Bond's, Isolation, Owl's Head. All are long enough to require a very early start to complete in a day trip...I should preface that with ME getting it done in a day trip!

Cabot isn't a hard one and the mileage doesn't feel as long as it shows on the map. The Bunnell, Killkenny, Unknown Pond trails make a good loop and you get to knock the Horn off your list as well. Best wishes on your completion. I'm hoping to be done with mine in sometime in June.
 
Why get them done this summer ? Are you moving to Europe? Sounds like your looking for an accident to happen by pushing.. Don't push to do these.
 
CaptCaper said:
Why get them done this summer ? Are you moving to Europe? Sounds like your looking for an accident to happen by pushing.. Don't push to do these.
Click to expand...

I think "this summer" (at least for me) defines the period between now and next winter so I have plenty of time to complete them in that time frame and (looking at my map), I can see Moriah and South Carter going in one shot so that cuts it down to six hikes - not really a stretch for the amount of time I'm looking at
 
I had the same thoughts as CaptCaper. These are not PITA, they are great trips with beautiful scenery. It sounds like you have a 7 great trips in front you. No need to put a time barrier on them. I think it is because you called them PITA and are looking to spend as little time as possible in Whites to tick these off gives me the impression you may want to reevaluate why you are doing these in the 1st place. I completed my NH 4K list many years ago but hope I have allot more then 7 trips to the Whites in front of me. Many consider West Bond to have the best view in all the Whites. I really enjoyed Owl's head for the many miles of brook walking on the approach.
 
jrbren said:
I had the same thoughts as CaptCaper. These are not PITA, they are great trips with beautiful scenery. It sounds like you have a 7 great trips in front you. No need to put a time barrier on them. I think it is because you called them PITA and are looking to spend as little time as possible in Whites to tick these off gives me the impression you may want to reevaluate why you are doing these in the 1st place. I completed my NH 4K list many years ago but hope I have allot more then 7 trips to the Whites in front of me. Many consider West Bond to have the best view in all the Whites. I really enjoyed Owl's head for the many miles of brook walking on the approach.
Click to expand...

Believe me, I love my time in the Whites and honestly wished it was possible for me to be closer than I am. The "Pita" part is the 3 - 5 hour drive. In some cases, like yesterday, I spend more time driving than actually hiking. It's kind of sad in that respect. But the hikes themselves - always look forward to doing them. Sorry, didn't mean to mislead. :)
 
Sematary said:
Believe me, I love my time in the Whites and honestly wished it was possible for me to be closer than I am. The "Pita" part is the 3 - 5 hour drive. In some cases, like yesterday, I spend more time driving than actually hiking. It's kind of sad in that respect. But the hikes themselves - always look forward to doing them. Sorry, didn't mean to mislead. :)
Click to expand...

Two antidotes for your condition:

Take more overnights and long weekends with less compulsion.

Leave no stragglers.
 
I day hike from North East CT as well. You can do all of these peaks as day hikes comfortably. Cabot was the longest ride for me. I drove up there on a Sunday hungover from a Bruins game I watched in Providence the night before. Got maybe 2 hours of sleep. 4 hr 20 min drive to trail head and 5 hrs coming home thanks to major thunderstorms all the way down Rte 3 (I did Cabot from the North, not the traditional route from gate). Was drizzly and cloudy all day and mosquitos were fierce! At least the downpours held off until I got back to car. Need to redo this peak some day in better weather.
 
Stan said:
Two antidotes for your condition:

Take more overnights and long weekends with less compulsion.

Leave no stragglers.
Click to expand...
What ^ he said. I totally get your "predicament." It's all good. Have you considered something like drive at night to th, hike in a short way and set up a quick camp for an overnight and then hike in the a.m.? Owl's Head, Iso and W Bond would work for that. Even Carter and Kinsman. You could stay at Kinsman Shelter. Whatever you do, enjoy the ride. What do you think you'll finish on? I know what I'd pick, but I'm biased as the one I finished on is on your list so I won't say..........
 
DayTrip said:
You can do all of these peaks as day hikes comfortably.
Click to expand...
I hope you hike and drive a lot faster than I if you want to try Isolation and Owls head as day trips. I did a lot of the NH48 and some of the ME peaks as day trips from RI but not these two. Recommend driving up the night before and grabbing 4 hrs of sleep the night before the hike somewhere with early starts. I have found that 3-4 hrs sleep between the drive up and the hike makes all the difference in the world and is now my standard way to go.
 
KV said:
What ^ he said. I totally get your "predicament." It's all good. Have you considered something like drive at night to th, hike in a short way and set up a quick camp for an overnight and then hike in the a.m.? Owl's Head, Iso and W Bond would work for that. Even Carter and Kinsman. You could stay at Kinsman Shelter. Whatever you do, enjoy the ride. What do you think you'll finish on? I know what I'd pick, but I'm biased as the one I finished on is on your list so I won't say..........
Click to expand...

Cabot will be my final hike. It is a 242 mile drive - the furthest by far. I'm going to do Moriah and South Carter at the same time. I might (if time permits) do a long weekend and hit multiple peaks in one weekend. I don't have alot of time to take off from work and I do do other hikes with my oldest daughter in Western Mass. as well as Vermont and I take my grand children on hikes to closer mountains like Wachusett. I make it work. lol
 
1SlowHiker said:
I hope you hike and drive a lot faster than I if you want to try Isolation and Owls head as day trips. I did a lot of the NH48 and some of the ME peaks as day trips from RI but not these two. Recommend driving up the night before and grabbing 4 hrs of sleep the night before the hike somewhere with early starts. I have found that 3-4 hrs sleep between the drive up and the hike makes all the difference in the world and is now my standard way to go.
Click to expand...

I've done that in the past and I'm sure I will in the future - especially for some of the Maine hikes I want to do.
 
KV said:
What ^ he said. I totally get your "predicament." It's all good. Have you considered something like drive at night to th, hike in a short way and set up a quick camp for an overnight and then hike in the a.m.? Owl's Head, Iso and W Bond would work for that. Even Carter and Kinsman. You could stay at Kinsman Shelter. Whatever you do, enjoy the ride. What do you think you'll finish on? I know what I'd pick, but I'm biased as the one I finished on is on your list so I won't say..........
Click to expand...

Actually, no. I haven't done it that way. I have stayed at hostels and hotels/motels overnight to get an early start - especially on the longer hikes - 12 to 18 miles. That sounds like it might be enjoyable. I'm wondering if that will work for bushwacks. My daughter (ex army stationed in Iraq) is well trained in navigating by map and compass and is going to help me hone my skills this summer. :)
 
The trick is to drive up the night before and bivi out. then you have two days of hiking and the late drive home on Sunday. I lived in San Francisco and climbed in the Sierra's and Yosemite on weekends. Not only did I have a sometimes 300 mile drive, I had to Acclimate as well. It's there for the taking. You need to do some combo's that will make your time more efficient. Here's some examples based on your list. Friday drive to Stoney brook trailhead and sleep Friday night. Sat. bag Moriah , then camp at Dolly Copp, next day Isolation. Next trip, drive to Cabot, bivi, climb Cabot, then drive to Twin Mt or somewhere nearby, next bag S Kinsman. Last trip drive to Kanc, stay at Blueberry Crossing CC then pack in and set up a camp to do both Owls head one day, then WB the next day. Or break up the last pair into two trips ( which I would do). I always find it odd that people make hiking such a chore, a lot of it has to do with being "list driven" There is nothing wrong with being list driven if you have fun doing it. It's not a job it's hiking!!! Just get up there and do it, less complaining more peak bagging:eek:
 
They can be done as day trips, I've done most of them as day trips at least once coming from SE CT, granted the northern most spot in NLC.
Doing South Carter & Moriah in the same day is a pretty ambitious hike, probably quite a bit harder than Isolation.
Leaving West Bond means you are going over Bond & Bondcliff, South Twin or Zealand & Guyot to get there.
Leaving South Kinsman either has you going from Kinsman Notch or over North K again. You can change how you get there, from 116 or from Lafayette Place. (doing North again is easier than going from 112)

I've given up the drive from home to the northern most peaks opting mostly for hostels or staying with a friend. Getting to N. & S. Kinsman or Owl's Head should take you less than four hours. I get to C-Notch in about four. (well you may be one of those other CT cars I pass.)

VT is very day tripable, I recommend against doing the ME peaks that way though......:D
 
Sematary said:
Since I live in Ct., getting up to the White Mountains is, well, challenging. It's a long drive no matter where I go and the 7 I have left are literally all over the map. I'm determined to get them done this summer though. Here are the 7 I have left.

West Bond
South Carter
South Kinsman
Mount Cabot
Mount Moriah
Owl's Head
Mount Isolation

The only hope I see of cutting my trips down is to take a long weekend and try and get two or three in one weekend but since they are so spread out, it's going to be tough to do this without going up there 7 times. lol I'm excited though. Only 7 to go and then I can start working on the New England 4000 footers plus, I would really like to defeat the Presidential Range (weather defeated me last time) and the Pemi Loop is another goal (def. a two day affair).
Click to expand...

Hey, if you're a 'get it done sooner rather than later' [conditions permitting] kinda guy, in the very near future I coincidentally happen to be running two trips of possible interest - just click each one for details:

Carters 3/28
Isolation 4/2

As of now, they both have space, though Isolation has a size limit and is filling up . . .

Alex
 
Last edited:
The way to go if you want to peakbag as fast as possible is:
-plan very well all your summits, escape routes, maps and backups, read trail conditions, you don't want to be inefficient once there
-fill your car with food for the whole weekend
-bring all the gear you have for all possible conditions you are comfortable hiking in, because weather can and will change
-bring the possible gear on the hike (you don't want to be near the summit and realize you needed crampons)
-find the optimal drive for all summits and alternatives if conditions make a summit impossible or dangerous (water crossing flooded)
-sleep in the car, don't waste time setting up tent or bivy. If it's cold, sleep in a sleeping bag or quilt (unless you want to wake up after 1h from cold), never let your car running.

Now you can hike, sleep, drive and repeat non stop the whole weekend. Make sure your body can handle this, but going slow will go a long way.
If you only want to peakbag, don't care for the views and are comfortable hiking during the night, do so. You can get awesome moonlight conditions or stumble on sunsets or sunrises.
If this doesn't sound like fun, don't do it ;)
The long drive is a lot of effort and commitment, but never forget to turn back if things go wrong even close to summit and be prepared this could happen. It will make the summit even more worthy the next time.

Good luck, those are really a challenge to link up together!
 
rich99 said:
The way to go if you want to peakbag as fast as possible is:
-plan very well all your summits, escape routes, maps and backups, read trail conditions, you don't want to be inefficient once there
-fill your car with food for the whole weekend
-bring all the gear you have for all possible conditions you are comfortable hiking in, because weather can and will change
-bring the possible gear on the hike (you don't want to be near the summit and realize you needed crampons)
-find the optimal drive for all summits and alternatives if conditions make a summit impossible or dangerous (water crossing flooded)
-sleep in the car, don't waste time setting up tent or bivy. If it's cold, sleep in a sleeping bag or quilt (unless you want to wake up after 1h from cold), never let your car running.

Now you can hike, sleep, drive and repeat non stop the whole weekend. Make sure your body can handle this, but going slow will go a long way.
If you only want to peakbag, don't care for the views and are comfortable hiking during the night, do so. You can get awesome moonlight conditions or stumble on sunsets or sunrises.
If this doesn't sound like fun, don't do it ;)
The long drive is a lot of effort and commitment, but never forget to turn back if things go wrong even close to summit and be prepared this could happen. It will make the summit even more worthy the next time.

Good luck, those are really a challenge to link up together!
Click to expand...

I wouldn't go if it weren't for the views. :) But, ya, I've been working on this for a VERY long time. I actually completed like the first quarter or so about 20 years ago then moved south and sort of fell out of it for a very long time. So, yes, I love the views and yes, I want to also complete the goal. :)
 
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